Safe uncertainty: rethinking consent and relational intimacies in adolescent post-digital cultures

This article explores the concept of ‘safe uncertainty’ as a guiding principle for understanding and supporting adolescent relational intimacies in an era shaped by pervasive digital connectivity and shifting norms. Drawing on research into young people’s sexual and relational practices and insights from the Reimagining RSE pilot programme, the article argues that dominant educational approaches to consent often present legalistic and over-simplistic binary frameworks of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ that fail to reflect the complexities of adolescent experiences. In contrast, the concept of safe uncertainty offers a more nuanced lens that engages with ambivalence, power dynamics and ethical challenges inherent in contemporary relational contexts. The article situates safe uncertainty within broader discussions of risk, safety and relational wellbeing, illustrating how it can engender critical reflection, emotional literacy and adaptive decision-making among young people. Based on the principles of safe uncertainty, the article advocates pedagogical practices that embrace complexity, encourage open dialogue and move beyond prescription. In doing so, the article argues that promoting safe uncertainty does not entail abandoning safety but rather reimagining it as a dynamic, relational process that supports young people’s development of meaningful, ethical and pleasurable intimate relationships.