A total of 1,762 adolescents were asked about their sexual experiences and also their televisionviewing habits and, one year later, were surveyed again. Analysts surveyed a national sample of households containing an adolescent from 12 to 17 years old. The first RAND study, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, examined this issue. It is widely believed that TV plays a role in hastening the initiation of sexual activity in teens. Thus, early initiation of intercourse is an important public health issue. Unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are more common among youth who begin sexual activity at earlier ages.
Shows with content about contraception and pregnancy can help to educate teens about the risks and consequences of sex–and can also foster beneficial dialogue between teens and parents.Įxposure to TV Sex May Hasten the Initiation of Sexual Activity Among Teens.Sexual talk on TV has the same effect on teens as depictions of sex.Watching TV shows with sexual content apparently hastens the initiation of teen sexual activity.The results supported the view that watching shows with sexual content may influence teen sexual behavior, but also found that some viewing effects can be positive. Two recent studies led by RAND Health behavioral scientist Rebecca Collins examined the impact of TV sex on teenagers’ sexual beliefs and activities. Yet, despite the prevalence of this view, there has been little empirical study to date of how watching sex on television influences teenagers’ sexual behavior. Conventional wisdom holds that the messages young viewers absorb from television promote sexual activity in this group. Sex is often presented as a casual activity without risk or consequences. Typical teen fare contains heavy doses of sexual content, ranging from touching, kissing, jokes, and innuendo to conversations about sexual activity and portrayals of intercourse. The average American teenager watches three hours of television a day. Shows that portray the risks of sex can help educate teens.Television in which characters talk about sex affects teens just as much as television that actually shows sexual activity.
Teens who watch a lot of television with sexual content are more likely to initiate intercourse in the following year.
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