Study: TV Sex Encourages Teen Experimentation
by AFA Journal
November 19, 2004
(AgapePress) - When it comes to sex on TV, parents are right to worry. A study published in the September issue of Pediatrics found that watching sex on television primes teenagers for earlier sexual experimentation.The study, conducted by psychologist Rebecca Collins of the RAND Corporation, said, "Watching sex on TV predicts and may hasten adolescent sexual initiation."
The data showed that teens who watched the most sexual content had a nearly doubled risk of earlier sexual involvement compared to kids who watched the least amount.
"It's social learning: 'monkey see, monkey do,'" Collins told USA Today. "If everyone's talking about sex or having it, and something bad hardly ever comes out of it, because it doesn't on TV, then they think, 'Hey, the whole world's doing it, and I need to.'"
The research also found that the type of sexual content was not necessarily relevant in predicting risk. "Exposure to TV that included only talk about sex was associated with the same risks as exposure to TV that depicted sexual behavior," the study said.
As possible solutions, the study recommended reducing the amount of sexual content on TV, reducing how much sexual content teens watch, and more frequently including the possible negative consequences of sexual activity. Also suggested: more parental involvement when it comes to what is watched, and more open discussions between parents and teens about what parents believe is appropriate behavior.
This article appeared in the November/December 2004 issue of AFA Journal, a publication of the American Family Association.
