Our society is complex and tricky to navigate, especially for young people. Sexting, technology-facilitated abuse, gender-based violence, AI, deepfakes, gaslighting, shame, grooming, child sexual abuse, the ‘manosphere’ and misinformation.

It Takes a Village to Teach Your Children About Consent is direct and up-front. It’s difficult, complicated and confronting territory, so it’s easy to feel shock, despair and hopelessness. However, the book is also practical, sensible and supportive. Its fundamental aim is to encourage children to feel comfortable talking to parents – or other trustworthy adults – about some of these challenging, contemporary subjects.

I appreciated the central role of teaching and learning. Jane Gilmore tells us she wrote the book because humans are a clever and adaptable species that can learn, unlearn and relearn at an accelerated rate. (Children are especially good at this.) The regular footnotes (with links to specific articles, research and references) and appendix (with data, statistics and lists of helplines) are useful.

At the time of writing, the eSafety Commissioner tells us, ‘age-restricted social media platforms will have to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account’ to address some of the technology-based issues.

The book is essential reading for parents and others in their extended community. Your job is to listen! (Then start a conversation with others in the village.)

Book review by Mark Parry

Read an interview with the author

Visit Jane Gilmore’s website