What do Hong Kong teens think about official advice on controlling sexual impulses?

The Hong Kong government’s advice for teenagers to “play badminton” when experiencing sexual impulses has been mocked by young people as ineffective in helping them understand their desires and criticised by an NGO for failing to address a cause of underage sex.

The Education Bureau released the guidelines as part of teaching materials aimed at secondary school pupils, suggesting choices teens make in a variety of scenarios involving intimacy. The bureau recommended they adopt sexual abstinence to avoid the risk of pregnancy and the ensuing emotional distress.

The most criticised scenario involved two 15-year-old teens studying at home in summer. The girl takes off her jacket and clings to the boy, making him excited. The guideline suggested they either “leave the scene immediately” or “go out to play badminton together”.

Many of the young people the Post interviewed said the teaching materials were ineffective, with some recalling only having one or two sex education classes throughout school, where they were taught how to use a condom.

“Even if you go play badminton, you’re still going to have that thought later on, like what else could have happened if I didn’t go,” Rezy Limbu, 19, said. “They won’t know how to control themselves the next time. You can’t always go play badminton if it happens again.”

Sasha Seed, 18, said the scenario, which described the male teen having a physiological reaction after seeing his girlfriend in a tank top, could lead to victim-blaming.

“I think that’s very wrong because us girls, we are supposed to be allowed to wear stuff we want to without having people telling us it’s our fault that you’re making the guys feel that way because you’re wearing a tank top,” she said. “They should teach them how to control themselves as well, instead of always blaming it on the women.”