Masturbation: Totally Normal
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Youth
Masturbation is the touching of one’s own body, especially the genitals, for sexual pleasure. People of all ages masturbate but it is especially common to feel like masturbating during puberty because of new sexual feelings and the increase in hormones in the body. Some people masturbate and others do not. Either way is normal. Masturbation can help you learn about your body and your sexual feelings without the complications that can come when you have sex or do sexual things with another person. Masturbation cannot result in pregnancy or cause a sexually transmitted infection (STI). If you do masturbate, be sure you do it somewhere private, like the bathroom or your bedroom.
FAQs
No, masturbation will not hurt you or cause any health problems. There are many myths about how masturbating will affect you, but actually it cannot hurt you physically, even if done frequently.
Sometimes people try new things when masturbating or do it so often that they feel discomfort or even get sore. To avoid this it’s best to take longer breaks in between or to try masturbating in a different way that isn’t uncomfortable or sore.
It should feel good, and it can also relieve stress and be a physically safe way to express sexual feelings.
Masturbation is a normal, healthy thing to do. While masturbation is very common, there are lots of different beliefs about it so some family’s and community’s may have a variety of views about masturbation. Ultimately it’s up to the individual whether they choose to masturbate. As long a it is something private, it’s okay to masturbate.
If someone else is present when you are masturbating, or if they are, this makes it a sexual activity which means it requires the consent of both people to continue.
Absolutely, many girls and adult women masturbate. Often in movies and TV series we only see references to guys masturbating which can create the impression that it’s not something girls do, but the opposite is true, everyone of every gender may experience sexual feelings and be interested in touching themself fore pleasure.
Because we see lots of references to boys and men masturbating in movies and TV shows it may make boys feel weird if they do not have the impulse to masturbate, don’t like doing it or just decide not to do it. In fact, whatever your gender it’s just as normal not to masturbate as it is to do it.
Parents
During puberty many young people begin to masturbate or touch their genitals to feel sexual pleasure. People of all ages and genders masturbate, even very young children, married people and seniors. Younger people—babies, toddlers and young children—may touch their genitals because it feels good and comforts them. During puberty, the body starts to produce more sex hormones, and one of the results can be a greater interest in and curiosity about sexuality. Masturbation is a very common way that people relieve sexual tension and experience sexual pleasure, such as orgasm. Generally, it is more socially acceptable for boys to masturbate than girls, but that is slowly changing as awareness of female sexuality—including the importance of knowing one’s body and experiencing pleasure—is increasing.
It is important that parents and guardians provide accurate information about masturbation. Young people may hear myths about masturbation, including that it will cause them to run out of sperm, grow hair on their palms, go crazy and go blind or that masturbation will have an impact on their menstrual cycles or their ability to keep an erection. You can ensure that your children know that masturbation cannot hurt them by speaking honestly with them.
Generally masturbating even a few times a day does not present a problem and actually has some health benefits. If a person finds that they are masturbating so frequently that it has an impact on their normal daily routine, they should talk with a parent or trusted adult to explore what might be underlying that habit.
Masturbation, while very common, also engenders a wide range of cultural and religious beliefs, which can sometimes lead people to feel guilty or shameful. It’s a good idea to talk with your children about masturbation and your family’s beliefs, as there are a wide range of ideas about masturbation from different cultures and faith traditions.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
Topics like masturbation may not come up in regular conversation, but it’s important to bring them up anyway. During puberty children begin to have new sexual feelings, and some begin to masturbate. It is normal if they do and normal if they don’t.
Masturbation is often joked about in popular culture and discussed using euphemisms. When this happens, you can ask your child, “Do you know what they’re talking about?” This can provide an opening to find out what your child knows about masturbation and dispel any myths they may have heard.
Educators
During puberty many young people begin to masturbate or touch their genitals to feel sexual pleasure. People of all ages and genders masturbate, even very young children, married people and seniors. Younger people—babies, toddlers and young children—may touch their genitals because it feels good and comforts them. During puberty, the body starts to produce more sex hormones, and one of the results can be a greater interest in and curiosity about sexuality. Masturbation is a very common way that people relieve sexual tension and experience sexual pleasure, such as orgasm. Generally, it is more socially acceptable for boys to masturbate than girls, but that is slowly changing as awareness of female sexuality—including the importance of knowing one’s body and experiencing pleasure—is increasing.
It is important that educators provide accurate information about masturbation. Young people may hear myths about masturbation, including that masturbating will cause them to run out of sperm, grow hair on their palms, go crazy and go blind or that it will have an impact on their menstrual cycles or their ability to keep an erection.
Generally masturbating even a few times a day does not present a problem and actually has some health benefits. If a person finds that they are masturbating so frequently that it has an impact on their normal daily routine, they should talk with a parent or trusted adult to explore what might be underlying that habit.
Masturbation, while very common, engenders a wide range of cultural and religious beliefs, which can sometimes lead people to feel guilty or shameful. You can assure students that masturbation is not physically harmful. Since there are a wide range of ideas about masturbation from different cultures and faith traditions, it’s a good idea to encourage students to talk with a parent or guardian if they have questions about their family’s values related to masturbation.
International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education
Sex, Sexuality and the Sexual Life Cycle
Sexual Behaviour and Sexual Response
Discussion Questions
- What myths have you heard about masturbation?
- Did anything in this video surprise you? Did you think the video covers things about masturbation that might surprise people?
