Hitchin MP Alistair Strathern is calling for compulsory Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) to be extended to 18-year-olds, amid concerns about the harmful messages teenagers are encountering online.

The Labour MP is working alongside campaign groups Make It Mandatory and Killed Women to highlight what they describe as a dangerous gap in education for young people aged 16 to 18.

The campaigners have launched The Unofficial Curriculum, a revision guide-style book exposing the messages about sex, relationships and abuse that teenagers may encounter when formal relationships education is no longer compulsory.

The book, unveiled to MPs at Parliament Square Gardens, includes sections on coercive control, verbal abuse, violent pornography and online misinformation.

It also features a glossary of internet slang that campaigners believe parents of teenagers should be aware of, including terms such as "Chad", "Gawk gawk", "Huzz" and "SMV".

The publication is designed to resemble a school revision guide, highlighting the information young people may be absorbing from social media, influencers, pornography and online communities associated with the so-called 'manosphere'.

Campaigners warn that without consistent education, teenagers may struggle to recognise unhealthy relationships, coercive behaviour and the warning signs of abuse.

Mr Strathern is sponsoring the Relationships and Sex Education (Further Education Sector) Bill, which is scheduled for its second reading in the House of Commons on Friday, December 4.

The Private Member's Bill, introduced on June 17, seeks to extend compulsory RSE into further education, ensuring young people continue to receive lessons on healthy relationships, consent and abuse beyond the age of 16.

Mr Strathern said: "Education isn't just about exams and careers, it's about preparing young people for life.

"This Bill is about giving every young person the tools to recognise danger, seek help and build relationships based on respect.

"That knowledge can change lives – and, in some cases, save them."

According to the campaigners, an estimated 3.8 million people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse in the UK during the past year, with 16 to 19-year-olds experiencing particularly high rates.

They argue that the current system leaves young people without guaranteed relationships education at a crucial stage in their lives, when many are beginning their first serious relationships and becoming increasingly independent.

Make It Mandatory was founded by Faustine Petron, who experienced an abusive relationship as a teenager.

She said: "When I was 16, I entered my first romantic relationship, as most teenagers do. I was excited for this new stage of my life, but that excitement soon wore away as the relationship became controlling and, eventually, violent.

"For the first year, I didn't call it abuse because I didn't have the words for it. No teacher had ever given them to me, and at that age it was hard to tell the difference between love and control.

"I started Make It Mandatory because I couldn't accept that another generation of young people could be left as unprepared as I was."

The campaign is also supported by Carole Gould, co-founder of Killed Women, whose daughter Ellie was murdered by her former boyfriend at the age of 17.

Carole said: "As a mother you just want to protect your child. The coercive control my daughter experienced in her first relationship was so subtle we all failed to recognise the red flags and the danger she was in.

"Ellie was only 17 when she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend for ending the relationship."

Campaigners say the proposed legislation would help ensure teenagers are taught how to identify emotional, physical and financial abuse, understand consent and know where to seek support.

The launch of The Unofficial Curriculum is intended to raise awareness ahead of December's parliamentary debate and encourage discussion about the role of schools and colleges in preparing young people for adult relationships.

The campaign groups are encouraging members of the public to contact their MPs about the proposed legislation.

Residents can find out more about the campaign and download The Unofficial Curriculum from the Killed Women website⁠.

Further information about the campaign is available through Make It Mandatory's parliamentary action page⁠.