With the rise of the Me Too and Times Up movements and mounting allegations of sexual misconduct against many high-profile figures across industries, its clear that our society is in need of some serious conversations about consent.

And considering the often frightening state of sex education in the U.S., it may be necessary for parents to lead these discussions at home. While its important for all young people to develop healthy ideas around consent, theres a sense lately that this goal is particularly needed for boys. Indeed, the accused sexual predators filling news cycles skew heavily male. Additionally, male survivors of sexual assault face a greater sense of stigma and have fewer resources than their female counterparts.

HuffPost spoke with sex educators who have sons about how they talk to their own kids as well as the students they serve about the idea of consent. Heres what they shared about their approach and their advice for fellow parents.

Starting Early

We really need kids to get the ideas about consent in their hearts and minds from an early age because this makes it much easier to translate it into sexual consent, sex education expert Amy Lang , who has a 17-year-old son, told HuffPost.

Its important to introduce the concept early, so children start understanding that their bodies belong to them and that a person needs to not only ask first before touching, but also make sure it is OK, and if it isnt, then they dont touch, sexuality educator Robin Wallace-Wright told HuffPost. This is an important protective behavior against abuse for any child to learn.

Wallace-Wright, who has a grown son and daughter, said that parents also need to tell their children what to do if someone doesnt respect their no and explain that they must always tell a trusted adult even if the perpetrator told them to keep it a secret.

Lydia M. Bowers emphasized the importance of building the framework around consent practically from birth, not just to protect children but also to help them develop healthy mindsets and behaviors.

The messages we send, intentionally or not, to young children now are carried with them into adulthood, explained Bowers, who is a sex educator with a 3-year-old son. We often think about things from the mindset of I dont want my child to be a victim someday, and forget that the perpetrators were all children as well. Its important for us to look at behaviors now and think, What will this look like in 5 years? In 10 years? In 15 years?

Establishing Bodily Autonomy

Teaching consent begins with teaching bodily autonomy. All of the sex educators who spoke to HuffPost said they started by teaching their children to to respect their own bodies and other peoples bodies.

For nonverbal children, this might mean talking through your actions while changing diapers, bathing and playing with them and being mindful of their responses, said Bowers. Young children need nurturing touch and comfort as they learn to trust, but we also teach consent by respecting when they dont want touch.

Parents should not make children feel obligated to participate in tickling, cuddling or other physical displays of affection if its not what they want, she added. They should honor their childrens no responses to show that they can create boundaries and expect them to be respected.