Gender and sex education curricula in schools have become a highly contentious topic in recent years. The programs are becoming widespread, and while they may appear to be designed to respond to increasing gender dysphoria, mental health professionals are concerned that they may cause irreparable harm to children.

The increase in gender dysphoria among youth has drawn the public’s attention, Reed said. “There are more than 100 pediatric gender clinics across the U.S. I worked at one. What’s happening to children is morally and medically appalling.”

Using a pseudonym due to concern of reprisal, Smith told The Epoch Times that children are highly influenced by the popularity of social media celebrities and influencers who are adept at spreading gender confusion. When a child realizes the attention they can get, they’re encouraged to talk about gender, especially when it appears that “changing their gender makes them cool,” Smith said.

Dr. Shannae Anderson, a psychologist from Thousand Oaks, California, told The Epoch Times, “This may be a fad, similar to the ‘80s with eating disorders and ’90s with ‘cutting.’ Now, it’s identifying as LGBTQ+.”

Smith explained that on social media, children can be highly influenced by users spreading gender dysphoria. Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, biased content can cause a child to behave in a way they may perceive will help them gain acceptance.

“Unless parents ‘opt-out,’ it can confuse and make suggestions kids may never consider,” said Strange.

A child’s desire for acceptance and popularity is no mystery to parents and school staff. Children may take drastic measures to fit in, even at their own expense. In the context of gender, children may choose to behave differently than they otherwise would to gain attention and recognition.

Dr. Barbara Ellis, a psychologist from the Greater Philadelphia area said that in middle school, children become less dependent on their family and begin to transfer more of their social interactions from family to their peers. They have a “great need to be accepted,” she said.

As children enter adolescence, identity exploration and behavioral experimentation takes off.

Because the adolescent brain is undergoing profound reconstruction and is not fully developed until age 25, we’re dealing with kids who do not have solid brain architecture, Anderson said.

According to Smith, the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) provided guidelines to Pennsylvania school districts in 2018 instructing teachers on how to have conversations about gender and handle students who want to change their gender. The guidelines encourage students to make changes whenever they want, without a process of counseling.

Smith believes that topics surrounding gender and sexuality are very confusing for students and should not be discussed with all of them. “Most of the students these topics are being presented to haven’t even started puberty,” Smith said.

Ellis explained that when a child is directed into an identity that they may not be, it can be detrimental to their mental health. “By glorifying certain identity categories, this can cause children to feel ‘left out.’ Children may then desire to be accepted, and go through dangerous lengths to fit in,” she said.

Acceptance is important for all children. However, for children with mental health disorders, the desire to be accepted by others can be more intense.

It can be difficult for children with autism to interpret subtle social cues, which can lead to being on the periphery of social groups and relationships, especially in school, said Ellis.

Ellis explained:

“You may have a child who wants to become part of a social group, so they are more at risk of being influenced by an ideology, even when they do not understand what it means on a social level. For example, they may dye their hair or wear different clothes when they try to fit in.

“Because the desire for social acceptance is so great, they may do things that are not in their best interest without considering the repercussions. Most children will do this, as their brains are not fully developed to understand repercussions. However, children with autism are even more at risk as their brains cannot process this information.”

“When you have trauma, especially sexual trauma, your body becomes the crime scene. Your body is where the damage was done. With individuals who have experienced sexual trauma, they may ‘hate’ their body, and be thrown into the ‘transgender camp’ rather than acknowledging that they hate what happened to their body. Many patients I have worked with who have experienced sexual trauma will dress more masculine to hide their body and reduce the risk of being re-abused. When you do not address the underlying trauma and [instead] encourage [children] to transition, that becomes another form of abuse,” she said.

According to Smith, there isn’t a process to refer a student when they present with gender dysphoria. “If a teacher’s opinions are involved, it could influence the student to think that if they make certain choices, it can make the teacher happy. … There aren’t clear boundaries for what to do when the topic of gender comes up, which can lead to discussions about sexuality that can be inappropriate.”

“Why rush him into a medical intervention instead of seeing if he’s going to continue with these changes?” she said. She assumed the psychologists at the center would help her son sort things out, but instead, they solidified her son’s need for medical intervention to help him transition.