Male health: Sexual ethics education and sexual maturity characteristics of adolescents

Sexual education for teenagers cannot be generalized; it must take into account gender, age characteristics, physical and intellectual maturity, cultural level, education level, surrounding social environment, and many other factors.

I. Educational Characteristics of Each Stage of Sexual Maturity

(I) Characteristics of Boys

First Stage (6-10 years old): From the perspective of genitalia, a slight increase in testicular volume is noticeable.

Second Stage (10-13 years old): Characterized by continued increase in testicular volume, enhanced activity of endocrine glands, and the appearance of a small amount of pubic hair on the mons pubis.

Third Stage (13-16 years old): The voice deepens, and the penis significantly increases in size. Nocturnal emission begins; the first nocturnal emission is a significant event in a teenager's life. The occurrence of nocturnal emission indicates the beginning of mature sperm production, signifying sexual maturity. Some teenagers view nocturnal emission as an abnormal phenomenon related to illness and therefore attempt to treat it themselves or try to conceal the fact.

Sex education for adolescents should not only include the physiological and anatomical characteristics of the human body at various ages, but also the important social significance of mastering this knowledge. Before nocturnal emissions begin, adolescents should be mentally prepared, viewing their occurrence as a sign of sexual maturity, and understanding that from this moment on, they bear a social responsibility—they must be responsible for their sexual behavior. During this period, fathers and male teachers play a primary role in the education of adolescents.

The fourth stage (16-19 years old) is the period of physical development for boys, the completion of genital development, and the development of secondary sexual characteristics. After this period, boys are biologically mature men. However, their social and moral immaturity is often overlooked in education. During this period of sexual maturity, masturbation is common among middle school students. This phenomenon causes anxiety for parents and teachers, but is often not handled properly. Physiologically speaking, masturbation is a form of sexual behavior. Masturbation can satisfy sexual desire and has a certain degree of comfort and hypnotic effect. From this perspective, if masturbation occurs occasionally and does not become a constant need (bad habit), then it does not pose a threat to health and normal psychological development. Masturbation mostly occurs in adolescents aged 13-20. People engaged in intense mental and physical labor masturbate much less. If uneducated parents or teachers frighten children by saying that masturbation will prevent them from marrying or having children in the future, then masturbation may become a cause of psychological disorders.

Besides the aforementioned physical or mechanical masturbation, there is also a so-called psychological masturbation. Psychological masturbation involves inducing sexual arousal and achieving sexual satisfaction by viewing erotic pictures or photos. This variant of masturbation is harmful to people of all ages. Psychological masturbation can create an unrealistic, abstract, but ideal sexual partner, resulting in difficulties in finding a real life partner and properly managing one's personal life.

If excessive mechanical masturbation is related to improper arrangements of labor, rest, study, daily life, and diet, then the occurrence of psychological masturbation stems from insufficient psychological education for children, primarily inadequate aesthetic education. The human body can have a dual impact on the mind: on the one hand, it can be seen as a perfect creation of nature; on the other hand, it can induce lust and awaken natural and strong sexual instincts. If children are not encouraged to cultivate habits of diligent study, regular labor, and active participation in sports, and if their active creativity is not nurtured, then masturbation occurring at a certain age will become a bad habit.

Besides conscious masturbation, unconscious masturbation is frequently observed in children and adolescents. To prolong the pleasure of morning erections, children may intentionally hold their urine (because holding urine often causes penile erection), resulting in a harmful habit. This habit may later cause disorders in the urination and ejaculation regulation mechanisms and affect the health of the entire nervous system. Timely urination can prevent this harmful behavior. After urination, penile erection will cease. Pay attention to when your child wants to urinate and wake them up beforehand to urinate, thus establishing a conditioned reflex. If a child hasn't developed the habit of deriving pleasure from prolonged erections, they will prefer normal, quiet sleep rather than seeking erections.

Childhood masturbation can also be caused by poor hygiene. The accumulation of smegma and residual urine, as well as their putrefaction under the foreskin, can cause itching in the external genitalia. Touching the stimulated area can bring satisfaction to the child, gradually forming a subconscious habit, becoming early mechanical masturbation. This unhygienic habit can also lead to illness. Inflammation of the foreskin can sometimes lead to narrowing of the foreskin opening—pathological phimosis. This type of phimosis often requires surgery. If this condition is not treated promptly, as the patient grows older, they may experience significant difficulty during sexual intercourse, or even be unable to have sexual intercourse altogether.