The app 'Love Land'’ teaches sex education

DW (English)

Sex education can be uncomfortable for teenagers. The smartphone app, "Love Land," aims to counter misinformation on the topic and confront taboos that teenagers sometimes face. It's designed to be fun and informative.

Transcript

00:00 These students in Cape Town have a special assignment today.

00:03 They're testing out the edutainment game, Love Land.

00:06 We need young people to help us to create the game.

00:10 Give us critical feedback and say, "Oh, this is really boring. Oh, and this is really cool."

00:14 The game deals with a difficult topic amongst teenagers, sex education, without the stigma or the shame.

00:21 In the game, users need to complete levels on different islands that each stand for an issue of their own,

00:27 like contraception or mental health.

00:29 14-year-old Sibulele and her friends have already tested the app.

00:33 The thing that I like about the app is it is not offensive.

00:38 You learn but you're also playing at the same time.

00:43 The game doesn't only focus on sex. It also focuses on boosting people's loves, boosting people's self-esteem.

00:52 Kairin Steerlin has tested the app in many countries.

00:56 She realised that teenagers around the world usually have the same questions.

01:00 And they often trust misinformation from the internet.

01:04 I experience them very interested and very eager to learn.

01:10 But you need to give them the space, some safe space.

01:13 That's what we try to make with Love Land, with only proper and age-appropriate information.

01:19 The long-term consequences of lack of sex education are often very hard.

01:24 And it kicks them out of the economy and social life.

01:27 Sibulele agrees that there's a lack of proper sex education in her community.

01:33 In South Africa it's rare for a parent to teach you about sex.

01:37 And that's why you find many teenagers in South Africa having these diseases and getting pregnant.

01:49 You are told to not have sex but they don't tell you the consequences.

01:52 And we as teenagers want to know if I were to do this, what would happen?

01:58 And you end up trying to do so.

02:01 Edutainment apps are successful because they incorporate playful elements, which can reinforce learning.

02:07 The school director is pleased his pupils are taking part.

02:10 I want them to be the pioneer so that when they master that, it's going to be actually easy for our school

02:18 to adopt that game as a way of learning and create awareness when it comes to sexual education.

02:25 For the teenagers, this means learning by playing.

02:30 Learn more at www.sibulele.org

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