Children must have access to online sex education because they are too embarrassed to discuss relationships in the classroom, charities and experts have said.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph today, more than a dozen charities warn that teenagers must be able to access sex and relationships advice from the privacy of their homes.

Warning that the prevalence of online pornography is warping teenagers’ views on sex and relationships, the charities have urged the Government to establish a national database to ensure children are getting advice from safe and trusted sources.

It comes as the Government faces growing calls to roll out compulsory sex education in schools across the country, amid concern that the current guidance, which was last reviewed in 2000, is outdated.

However, leading charities including Relate and the think tank Centre for Social Justice warn that focussing solely on classroom teaching risks isolating children who shy away from asking questions in class.

Instead, the group have called for a “BBC Bitesize” style database to be set up, which would allow less confident students to access intimate and potentially embarrassing advice from the privacy of their homes.