Recently, we’ve been reading story after wrenching story of sexual assault. We’ve heard the old excuse “boys will be boys”. We’ve seen inexcusable behaviour brushed off as normal teen hijinks. One thing has become clear: Whatever we’re doing to teach our kids about consent, it is not enough.

Creating a culture of consent doesn’t come from one awkward sex talk. It’s an ongoing process that starts earlier than you probably think. Here’s how to make consent the norm at every age.

Recently, New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman was accused by four women of physical assault during sex. Schneiderman responded by saying that the hitting, choking, and slapping he's accused of were part of kinky "roleplaying." All four women say they never consented to engage in these types of behaviours. Whether or not Schneiderman was indeed "roleplaying" at all, the case is opening up a vitally important conversation about consent, particularly within the context of kink and BDSM.

Here's what you need to know to get it right.

A lot has been written about Facebook over recent weeks, with the coverage reaching a crescendo early this week following Mark Zuckerberg’s ten hours of congressional testimony. But something has emerged that has given me pause. How do we consent to our data being shared?

My five-year-old daughter enjoys premeditated tickles. She braces herself and says, "Go!"

When the US Girl Scouts put out a pre-holiday reminder to parents that their daughters don't owe anyone a hug, even at the holidays, it was taken as a sign of the (dismal) times. "At a time when issues of sexual harassment and consent are in the news," began the CNN story on the piece.

Consent isn't all that complicated. And yet according to a study from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, there's still lots of confusion over what "counts" as sexual assault. Case in point: Harvey Weinstein.