A child sits cross-legged in a classroom in 1991, the teacher clearing her throat before a nervous lecture on “growing up.” Thirty years later, a different scene: a mixed group of teens scrolls through a tablet as a facilitator fosters candid conversation about bodies, consent, and online boundaries. Comparing puberty and sexual education for boys and girls in Belgium between 1991 and 2021 reveals broader cultural, pedagogical, and technological shifts that reshaped how young people learn about their changing bodies.
– For anyone who went through adolescence in Belgium in 1991, the memory is often one of hushed tones, a grainy VHS tape in a dark classroom, and a sudden, awkward separation of boys and girls into different rooms. For those turning twelve in 2021, puberty is navigated with a smartphone in one hand and a tidal wave of online information (and misinformation) in the other. A child sits cross-legged in a classroom in
: Teens "try on" different roles in relationships to figure out who they are as partners and what they value in others. Normalizing "No Romance" For those turning twelve in 2021, puberty is