Post: Importance of Sex on TV study shouldn't be overlooked
Importance of Sex on TV study shouldn't be overlooked
The findings of the Kaiser study on sex in the media are very important. They confirm what many casual viewers of TV suspect: Television is becoming increasingly sex-saturated, and the increase in both the number of shows involving sex and the number of sexual episodes per program is substantial. Although there is very little research on the impact of sexual media depictions on youth (partially because it is almost impossible to get funding), what research there is confirms that young viewers’ attitudes, and sometimes their behaviors are influenced by the sexual behavior that is shown and talked about on TV.
Even without much research on the topic, we know that young people are strongly influenced by the behaviors they see in the media. The impact of sexual behavior is potentially stronger because young people have less of their own experience, and real-world sexual behavior is usually conducted in private. Much of what is shown on television with regard to sexual behavior is never seen publicly so kids can see on television what they’d be unlikely to witness in the real world.
The amount of sex on television affects teenagers’ views of normative behavior – how their typical peers are reacting – and views of peer behavior have an important effect on teenagers’ attitudes and behaviors. Another important element of this study is the finding that only 10% of the sexual episodes in the programs most popular with teenagers contain any references to the risks of engaging in sexual behavior. Given the fact that children are receiving minimal sex education in schools and many parents are uncomfortable talking to their kids about sex, our young people are receiving a heavy dose of unrealistic and unhealthy role models with little to contradict it.
Young people are naturally interested in programs with sexual topics. Television is happy to satisfy this curiosity. However, broadcasters and TV producers are being irresponsible if they don’t acknowledge the important role their programming has on the physical and psychological well-being of youth. This puts an additional burden on parents and other agents of youth socialization. One thing parents can do is to sit down and watch television with their kids and try to engage them in conversations about the behavior they are witnessing. This is easier said than done, but sometimes something you’d rather your teen hadn’t seen can serve as a “teachable moment.”