Sexual health education through public service media targeting young people: experience from Finland

Public service media (PSM) based sexual health education is a promising approach to use with young people. However, few studies to date have analysed sexual health content in Nordic PSM. A qualitative content analysis was conducted of PSM podcast content, highlighting the sexual health-related topics addressed and the opportunities for participation provided. Data were collected in line with predetermined inclusion criteria and guided by professionals working at Yle, a Finnish PSM company. Three podcasts, comprising a total of 66 episodes, met the inclusion criteria (i.e. produced between 2021 and 2023 and targeting young people). The most prevalent sexual health topics were sexual pleasure and interpersonal communication skills. Although participatory aspects were present, such as listeners choosing topics and the hosts being young people themselves, participation remained superficial due to limited dialogue. The findings highlight opportunities to enhance sexual health education and employ PSM more fully to promote young people’s sexual health, through a focus on the positive aspects of sex and sexuality that are often lacking in formal education.