The UK government unveiled measures on Thursday that would prohibit gender identity education for students up to the age of 18 in English schools.

The action comes after a historic study that recommended "extreme caution" while giving hormone therapy to young individuals who are having problems with their gender identification last month.

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust's first gender identity development service for kids in England closed in March following years of controversy.

A Department of Education statement stated that students of any age will not be taught the "contested theory of gender identity" under the recommendations in the new draft guidelines.

The regulations, according to Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, were designed to ensure that kids "were not exposed to too much too soon, taking away the innocence of childhood."

She said in the advice statement that this is the reason the most sensitive topics now have explicit age restrictions for teaching them and that teaching the contentious subject of gender identity is not recommended.

In England, sex education is required in secondary schools starting in 2020 for students ages eleven and up. However, the topic—and in particular, gender identity—has progressively entered the "culture wars" between liberals and social conservatives.

Retired pediatrician Harriet Cass, who oversaw the four-year evaluation of gender identity services, referred to the debate's "toxicity" as "exceptional.".

According to a Department of Education statement, students studying secondary school (ages 11 to 18) would be taught about legally "protected" qualities, including gender reassignment and sexual orientation.

However, the revised guidelines make it very clear that gender identification should not be taught in schools.

A prohibition on sex education for kids under nine years old is another of the ideas that stem from worries about certain educational materials being utilized in schools.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated in the statement that parents have a right to believe that when they send their kids to school, they will be kept secure and won't be exposed to upsetting material that is inappropriate for their age.

He went on, and I was horrified to hear of accounts of this happening in our classrooms the previous year for this reason.

Given the broad availability of cellphones, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) questioned whether the government's proposed measures would adequately protect children.

According to Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the union, "we cannot ignore the fact that some children and young people are already accessing information from different sources outside of school."

This could raise issues that require cautious attention from qualified experts.

Additional information about preventing suicide and the dangers of watching internet content that encourages self-harm is also included in the updated guidelines. The death of 14-year-old Molly Russell in 2017 brought attention to the degree of hazardous content available online in the UK.

Ian Russell, her father, called the social media giants' response to a report aimed at averting catastrophes "underwhelming and unsurprising" last year.

After a nine-week consultation period, the government's proposed ideas will become statutory.