Your go-to peer support group for improving your overall wellbeing and mental health.
It's free, safe, anonymous and facilitated by Kids Helpline Counsellors.
You both need to agree, every single time.
Consent is important for any sexual activity. But what exactly does it mean?
Only yes, means yes!
Silence or lack of resistance does NOT equal consent.
You both need to agree, every single time.
A choice you make without pressure, guilt or threats.
You understand what’s about to happen.
It’s a YES, not a ‘maybe’ or ‘I think so’ or ‘I guess so’.
You’re excited and WANT to do the sexual activity.
You can stop or change your mind at any time.
Saying yes to one thing doesn’t mean yes to everything.
You need it before and during the activity, as well as next time!
Consent should be clear, enthusiastic and certain. Remember, if it’s not a yes, then it’s a no!
Consent sounds something like:
"YES!"
"Yassssss"
"Absolutely"
"That sounds great"
"That feels awesome"
"Let's do that more"
"I'd like to..."
"Would you please..."
"I want to keep doing this"
"I'm enjoying this"
"Can we..."
"No"
"Stop"
"Maybe"
"I'm not sure"
"I don't want to"
"I don't think I'm ready"
"Can we slow things down"
Pulling away or resisting
Being silent or not responding
Agreeing to go on a date
Showing interest in you
It’s against the law to do sexual things (even kissing or touching) to someone if they have NOT given or are UNABLE to give consent. This is called sexual assault and it’s a crime.
The law also says that there are some situations where it is NEVER ok for someone to do sexual things with you, even if you consent! These are:
Remember: it’s against the law to have sex or continue sex without consent. So even if the other person seems into it, the only way to know if you have consent is to ask.
Asking for consent doesn’t have to be awkward! If done right, it can be flirty and respectful.
Here are some ways you might ask if you’re in the heat of the moment:
"Can I..?"
"Do you want me to..?"
"Want to try..?"
"Can we..?"
"Are you ready to..?"
"Do you like this?"
"Do you want to..?"
"Is this ok?"
"What do you want to do?"
"Do you want to stop?"
"Would you like to..?"
"Are you happy to go further?"
"How do you feel about?"
"How are you feeling?"
"Do you want to slow down?"
"Are you comfortable?"
If consent isn't given then it's a NO.
It's not ok to persist until you get a YES.
What is abuse
Abuse takes many forms and there isn’t one single way that ...
READ MESexting
If you own a smartphone you’ve probably heard of sexting. It’...
READ MEPorn can be harmful
You might be curious about pornography or have even watched it yourself. ...
READ MEUnderstanding sexual abuse
Sexual abuse is never ok. In this article we focus on what ...
READ METalking helps! We’re here for you.
No problem is too big or too small.
We're here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week