TALKING POINTS
There’s nothing like controversy and current events to kickstart conversation. Seize the day and get talking with your child about these recent news stories…
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“Don’t rape, sexually assault or make kissing noises”, asylum seekers warned in guidance about living in UK (Sky News, 20/8/26)
“A Home Office guide for asylum seekers arriving in the UK after fleeing other countries tells them not to rape or sexually harass people, including a child or partner, and not to make sexual remarks about someone ‘even if you think it is a compliment’, whistle or make ‘kissing sounds’ at someone, make rude or offensive gestures and ‘verbally abuse someone because of their gender’. The guide explains that people having sex must consent without threat or pressure, that a person can change their mind at any time and that if someone is ‘asleep, drunk or unable to respond’ they can’t consent. It adds that anyone under age 16 is considered a child and legally can’t consent to having sex. It also says women are allowed to ‘earn their own money’ and ‘make their own decisions’. Men seem to be the main target for these instructions”
TALKING POINT Why is there a need to explain these values to men? Read the article >
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Rising number of UK children report seeing explicit deepfakes of themselves (Guardian, 8/8/26)… and also of interest Teens told us they’re not just seeing AI nudes – they’re making them (Common Sense Media, 29/7/26)
“The number of kids in the UK reporting explicit deepfake images of themselves which were digitally manipulated or ‘faked’, including with AI and nudification tools, rose from 397 in 2025 to 420 in the first 6 months of 2026. Kids can anonymously flag intimate images or videos of themselves to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)’s Report Remove service, which blocks intimate images. IWF chief technology officer Dan Sexton says if someone takes an innocent picture of a child from the internet and creates ‘child sexual abuse material, there is nothing that child can do to stop it from happening apart from preventing anyone from taking pictures of them – or not putting pictures of themselves online’. Schools have been urged to remove identifiable pictures of students’ faces from their website – and last month the IWF and the National Crime Agency encouraged parents to not put their kids’ photos publicly online”
TALKING POINT Have you come across deepfake or AI-faked images? Read the article >
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“Rape list” part of misogyny girls face at school (BBC, 4/8/26) about a student film…
and also of interest Boys as young as 13 are showing signs of misogyny: Study reveals 30% of youngsters think men have more of a right to a job than women (Daily Mail, 18/8/26)
“Teenage girls in Tyneside, England, feel ‘frightened’ because of the extreme misogyny –
which is defined as a contempt for, hatred of or prejudice against women – they regularly experience. Many comments are too explicit to share but include threats of violence and rape often masked as ‘banter’. One girl felt ‘worthless’ after learning of the ‘rape list’ made by
boys in her school: ‘Boys ordering girls who they want to rape the most and the least. It is frightening because you don’t know people’s real intentions.’ The girls spoke out after making a film about the language they endure at school and online. The director, Sue Davison, says it should be shown in schools. It was shared with the government, which aims ‘to halve violence against women and girls’ (VAWG), with changes from September to help teachers counter misogyny. The students hope their film will ‘challenge attitudes and encourage discussion’“
TALKING POINT What misogyny have you witnessed? Watch the film and Read the article >
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School pupils to be taught strangling during sex is illegal in new lessons (LBC, 17/7/26)
“There is ‘growing concern about the normalisation of choking’ among young people, says Oak National Academy, whose sex ed lessons will teach UK kids aged 14-15 that strangling or suffocating someone during sex could be an imprisonable offence. This is part of a new Relationships, Sex and Health (RSHE) curriculum starting in September. The hope is that these lessons – as well as learning about not assuming ‘blanket consent’ during sex, setting boundaries and recognising toxic behaviours in relationships, including phone snooping and gaslighting – will help tackle the ‘influence of the manosphere and incel culture’ in classrooms. Schools minister Georgia Gould says: ‘Misogynistic views are not innate – they are learned. Our mission is to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG)’”
TALKING POINT What do you know about the dangers of choking? Read the article >
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Gillian Anderson Says She “Didn’t Have the Language” for Her Teenage Relationship (Yahoo News, 17/8/26)
“Actor Gillian Anderson, age 58, says that one of her first relationships was with an older girl when she was in high school. As a punk teenager in a conservative town in Michigan and struggling with low self-esteem, she felt out of place. She and the girl believed they had to hide their relationship, which felt ‘secretive, illicit and wrong’. Anderson didn’t think of herself as gay because she ‘didn’t have the language for it’, though knowing she was still attracted
to boys affected the way she understood her sexuality. Anderson stars in Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma, a queer horror film with themes of desire and identity, which if she had watched it as a teenager would have made her feel seen. Starring in Sex Education and publishing collections of anonymous women’s sexual fantasies in the books Want and More, Anderson is interested in removing shame from conversations about sex, desire and identity”
TALKING POINT Why do you think she is talking about this relationship? Read the article >
And finally: to discuss…
We can say Ariana Grande is too thin without being cruel (USA Today, 7/8/26)
“Singer ARIANA GRANDE, age 33, has been facing intense public scrutiny over her appearance, and a spokesperson says Grande will take ‘a step back from visibility’ after her current concert tour ends.
The scrutiny has only grown since the release of her music video
Petal, in which a noticeably thin Grande appears gaunt and rages against criticism about her.
Her appearance is a warning – and something that young people should be able to see and talk about openly.
One study of kids aged 10-17 found that 55% felt dissatisfied with their body. Social media and influencer culture have made this generation self-critical, and for teenage girls in particular the steady diet of comparisons makes them feel even worse about themselves.
Most women are already preoccupied with their body without society’s obsession with thinness piling on. I see it in my teen daughters.
Grande’s frail appearance is a cautionary tale for a generation already struggling with body image. GLP-1 weight-loss drugs have made thinness more attainable than ever.
For many celebrities that appears to have gone past what’s healthy. For teens already anxious about their body and steeped in hours of social media, content like Grande’s video only adds to that. If anything, Grande’s video seems like a cry for help.
I disagree that Grande’s health or appearance, especially in a music video she produced, should be off-limits to public commentary. Speaking honestly about health and body image is more compassionate than looking away and pretending everything is fine.
We should be able to have honest, kind discussions about celebrities, especially when they seem to be placing their appearance above their health. The message that sends to teens, who are already insecure and vulnerable, is damaging.
I feel for Grande, and for the growing number of girls anxious about their body. Talking about it honestly, and with respect, is how we help each other do better”
TALKING POINTS How do you feel when you see this photo of Ariana Grande? What does the photo make you think? In what ways might this photo influence people your age or younger? Could this photo trigger people or give them ideas – and if so, what would it trigger or encourage in them? Do you think it’s unfair to talk about how celebrities look – if yes, why and if no, why not? Do people you know talk openly with you – or do you hear people talking with others – about worries around their body or body image? Do you worry about how you look? In what ways does our culture put pressure on people to be thin? Do you notice such pressures in your life? Do you think boys and men feel pressures about their bodies and their looks the way girls and women do? If so, how do they feel those pressures and why do you think this is happening? If not, why are there gendered differences? The article mentions girls’ “steady diet of comparisons” – where does the pressure of comparisons come from?