Hookup culture and the frequency of sexual assault on college campuses have caused quite the stir in recent years as schools, law officials and students all get involved to change the trend. The one group not playing a huge role? Parents.

Perhaps even more important than The Birds and The Bees is a discussion on healthy relationships, consent and harassment, especially when a student is about to go to college. And yet 61 percent of students have reportedly never discussed consent with their parents. 57 percent said they’ve never discussed why you shouldn’t take advantage of someone who is intoxicated or impaired, and 76 percent said they’ve never talked about how to avoid sexually harassing others. 

Maybe that’s why 87 percent of young women reported experiencing at least one of the following: being catcalled, receiving unsolicited sexual comments, being touched without permission and being insulted by men with sexualized words like “slut” or “ho.”

Along with misogyny and sexual harassment, a focus on mature relationships and how to deal with unhealthy relationship behavior is an important topic that can often only be discussed with parents. Especially with the growing popularity of pornography and casual sex, the dangers – physical and emotional – of these practices must be more thoroughly talked about as students become independent and learn to choose for themselves.

To read the full article by USA Today, click here.