On Your Terms: Youth survey on consent and sex ed

The survey results will establish a point in time understanding of the issues and inform improvements to the national curriculum and development of respectful relationships education policy more broadly.

Young people’s voices matter. The On Your Terms survey gives 14 to 18 year olds a chance to share their views and find out what young people really think and experience when it comes to consent and sex education. 

We will meet young people where they are, including on social media, using a dedicated @onyourterms presence across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

We will also use a multi‑pronged community engagement approach working through youth‑focused organisations and community events to ensure we connect with a diverse range of young people in ways that feel accessible and relevant to them.

At the start of the survey, participants are asked a few questions about themselves (like age, postcode, country of birth, gender). Then you’ll be asked about:

- the consent education young people have had at school

- where they’re learning about consent and sex outside of school

- a few questions about any romantic relationships, sexual experiences, and young peoples’ knowledge and views on consent.

Most questions are multiple choice, and participants do not have to answer any question they don’t want to answer.

Genuinely listening to young people and taking their views into account leads to better public policy that supports their rights and wellbeing.

This topic can be difficult for some people to talk about, and the survey provides an important opportunity to empower young people to share their views and experiences on consent, respectful relationships and sex education.

The study forms part of the Australian Government’s agenda to support schools in educating children and young people about the importance of respectful relationships and building child-safe cultures, as well as to help shift attitudes and behaviours to mitigate violence against women and children.

The survey has a range of safeguards to ensure participant wellbeing and safety.

The survey questions have been carefully designed using safe, age-appropriate language and do not ask participants to identify themselves or disclose information.

Young people can choose not to answer any questions they may be uncomfortable with, skip more sensitive questions and exit the survey at any time.

A range of support services and helplines are listed on every page of the survey and young people can request assistance in connecting with support services.

The survey adheres to established safety protocols and practices for studies of this kind and has received ethics clearance from the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee.

The survey is informed by young people through input from Youth Advisory Group.

Participation in the survey is completely anonymous. It will not be possible for participants to be identified from the information we collect.

In line with research best practice, survey data may be made available via the Australian Data Archive (ADA), a national service for collecting, preserving, publishing and accessing digital research data. Only approved researchers will be granted access to the survey data and information will not be able to be identified.

The report will be provided to government in late 2026.