Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Periods: TikTok gives better education than schools, say teens

Periods: TikTok gives better education than schools, say teens

"I've got most of my information about periods from TikTok," said 18-year-old Efa Angharad.

The sixth-former from Gorslas, Carmarthenshire, said her period education had been "pretty shocking".

It comes as a Swansea University study found menstrual cycle education needed to be addressed in schools.

The Welsh government said period education would become mandatory as part of a new curriculum. The other UK nations said they have taken action.

Efa said she remembers having a puberty lesson in the final year of primary school and, at the end, the boys were sent out.

"You just get told 'oh, by the way at some point you're going to be bleeding for three-eight days once a month'," she said.


Lili Mai
Lili Mai: "There was no deeper explanation, we weren't talking about pain or cramps"


"There was no education about why, or symptoms before or after or hormone changes."

She said she and her friends educated themselves online more than they learned in the classroom.

"I just don't feel like the education system has changed at all since when my mam was younger," she added.

Lili Mai, 17, said her class was not really given information about why they had periods.

"There was no deeper explanation, we weren't talking about pain or cramps, anything that comes with it. I had to figure that out as I went along," she said.

Ffion: "We weren't educated on tampons, menstrual cups... it was just the basics"


Ffion, 17, from Ammanford, said she doesn't remember much about the lesson, other than a stranger coming into class.

"We weren't educated on tampons, menstrual cups... it was just the basics that led to problems years on when I started my periods. It's just really sad," she added.

It's a story Natalie Brown is familiar with.

She works with elite female athletes looking at the impact of their periods and their cycle on performance.

It was their lack of knowledge that led her to question what was being taught in schools.

"What we very much find is actually there is minimal education in school," she added.

The academic led the report by Swansea University, funded by Sport Wales, looking at menstrual cycle education in the UK.

The sport scientist said more than 90% of teachers that responded to the survey were female and often they drew on their own personal experiences.

Natalie Brown works with elite female athletes looking at the impact of their menstrual cycles on performance


The report recommended giving teachers more time, training and support to deliver classes regularly as well as providing more information on the emotional and social aspects of the menstrual cycle.

'We need to support girls more'


It also found that teachers felt periods affected attendance, participation in exercise, as well as behaviour and confidence.

"To me that shows it is an area that we need to support girls more on because it can have an effect on school performance, exam results... these kind of longer-term health and wellbeing benefits," she added.

Kathryn King runs the Bloody Honest social media account which she said aims to fill the gaps in period education.

She said the responses she gets to her videos highlight the desperate need for information.

"One of the most common questions I get is 'where's my vagina and how many holes do I have?'

"It's baffling to me that there's such a gap in the knowledge of young people and it's just filled by friends or family if they're lucky... and, if not, strangers on the internet," she said.

Kathryn King: "There's such a gap in the knowledge of young people and it's just filled by friends or family if they're lucky"


The 26 year old has no medical training but felt the urge to educate others about periods after learning about her own in her early 20s.

"The more you know, the sooner you can recognise any abnormalities for you... and the sooner you can speak to a doctor and have that checked and potentially that is life changing," she said.

How is period education taught?


The Welsh government said, within the new curriculum framework, teachers will be able to focus on a wide range of health and wellbeing topics.

"It is important that learning about menstrual wellbeing is not simply a 'one-off lesson' which is why the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) Code sets out that it should be taught at various stages of the curriculum," it added.

The Scottish government said learning about periods and menstruation started in primary schools and was an important part of health and wellbeing education.

"Local authorities and schools can use a wide range of resources to deliver age and stage appropriate lessons," it said.

In Northern Ireland, the government said period education was provided to both primary and post-primary schools.

"Pupils have the opportunity to learn about scientific facts and engage in open conversation," it said.

"This can help to break down common taboos about periods, prevent stigma and reduce negative perceptions and behaviours."

The UK government said pupils in England should learn about periods, including its impact on physical and mental health, as a mandatory part of the curriculum.

"We have invested millions in rolling out the curriculum and are supporting teachers with training and guidance, so that they can gain the knowledge to teach it confidently and foster open conversations with their students," it said.


Teenage girls have been turning to the internet to learn about periods


Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Syria Holds First Elections Since Fall of Assad
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
×