From our Great Discoveries In Science Department, researchers have confirmed what social conservatives have been warning a dismissive society about for years: Sex in the media influences youngsters to experiment on their own.
"Sexually charged music, magazines, TV and movies push youngsters into intercourse at an earlier age, perhaps by acting as kind of virtual peer that tells them everyone else is doing it, a study said Monday.
"’This is the first time we’ve shown that the more kids are exposed to sex in media the earlier they have sex,’ said Jane Brown of the University of North Carolina, chief author of the report.
"Previous research had been limited to television, said the study which looked at 1,017 adolescents when they were aged 12 to 14 and again two years later. They were checked on their exposure during the two years to 264 items — movies, TV shows, music and magazines — which were analyzed for their sexual content.
"In general it found that the highest exposure levels led to more sexual activity, with white teens in the group 2.2 times more likely to have had intercourse at ages 14 to 16 than similar youngsters who had the least exposure."
When scientists say this, it is Big News; when social conservatives — particularly traditional Christians — say this, it is shrugged off as starboard paranoia.
The problem is, most of those in the statistical or media industries don’t think that this is such a bad thing. Joycelyn Elders’ philosophy of teaching sex to kids at younger and younger ages has led to a real tragedy of earlier and earlier loss of Innocence, but the secularists see no problem at all with this.
Someone get the millstones ready.
Finally, we can be at peace. Science has confirmed christian common sense. I alway’s liked the saying: “you stand in manure long enough, you come out smelling a little funny.”
Scientists have known for a while that violence in the media encourages copy cat behavior and leads to desensitization, so anyone who followed that research really should have seen this coming.
In fact, at the end of the article they state: “It took many studies over a number of years to establish that violence in the media increased children’s violent behavior and to begin initiatives to reduce harmful effects,” the study said. “Given the consistent findings regarding media violence, it may be prudent not to wait decades to conclude that the media are also important sources of sexual norms for youth,” it added.”
Sounds like a good idea to me.
In general it found that the highest exposure levels led to more sexual activity
Actually, that “A” leads to “B” in the sense of causation was not shown by the study. Rather, the possibility that “A” leads to “B” was supported in some but not all groups.
Pediatrics
Sexy Media Matter: Exposure to Sexual Content in Music, Movies, Television, and Magazines Predicts Black and White Adolescents’ Sexual Behavior
OBJECTIVE. To assess over time whether exposure to sexual content in 4 mass media (television, movies, music, and magazines) used by early adolescents predicts sexual behavior in middle adolescence.
METHODS. An in-home longitudinal survey of 1017 black and white adolescents from 14 middle schools in central North Carolina was conducted. Each teen was interviewed at baseline when he or she was 12 to 14 years old and again 2 years later using a computer-assisted self interview (audio computer-assisted self-interview) to ensure confidentiality. A new measure of each teen’s sexual media diet (SMD) was constructed by weighting the frequency of use of 4 media by the frequency of sexual content in each television show, movie, music album, and magazine the teen used regularly.
RESULTS. White adolescents in the top quintile of sexual media diet when 12 to 14 years old were 2.2 times more likely to have had sexual intercourse when 14 to 16 years old than those who were in the lowest SMD quintile, even after a number of other relevant factors, including baseline sexual behavior, were introduced. The relationship was not statistically significant for black adolescents after controlling for other factors that were more predictive, including parental disapproval of teen sex and perceived permissive peer sexual norms.
CONCLUSIONS. Exposure to sexual content in music, movies, television, and magazines accelerates white adolescents’ sexual activity and increases their risk of engaging in early sexual intercourse. Black teens appear more influenced by perceptions of their parents’ expectations and their friends’ sexual behavior than by what they see and hear in the media.
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Journal of Adolescent Health
The mass media are an important context for adolescents’ sexual behavior.
PURPOSE: This study compared influences from the mass media (television, music, movies, magazines) on adolescents’ sexual intentions and behaviors to other socialization contexts, including family, religion, school, and peers. METHODS: A sample of 1011 Black and White adolescents from 14 middle schools in the Southeastern United States completed linked mail surveys about their media use and in-home Audio-CASI interviews about their sexual intentions and behaviors. Analysis of the sexual content in 264 media vehicles used by respondents was also conducted. Exposure to sexual content across media, and perceived support from the media for teen sexual behavior, were the main media influence measures. RESULTS: Media explained 13% of the variance in intentions to initiate sexual intercourse in the near future, and 8-10% of the variance in light and heavy sexual behaviors, which was comparable to other contexts. Media influences also demonstrated significant associations with intentions and behaviors after all other factors were considered. All contextual factors, including media, explained 54% of the variance in sexual intentions and 21-33% of the variance in sexual behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents who are exposed to more sexual content in the media, and who perceive greater support from the media for teen sexual behavior, report greater intentions to engage in sexual intercourse and more sexual activity. Mass media are an important context for adolescents’ sexual socialization, and media influences should be considered in research and interventions with early adolescents to reduce sexual activity.
The funniest part was that the scientist’s name was Jane Brown. May as well have been John Doe. (I apologize to my Brown relatives, but it had to be said.)
Nicely done Michelle,
TomReagan.com
“the more kids are exposed to sex in media the earlier they have sex,…
Well….DUH!?!?!
Let’s not forget exposure to explicit sex ed in the classrooms has the same effect. I hear from friends and other parents over and over how kids are found “experimenting” with what they learned in sex ed class in bathrooms and the school bus, etc.
The trouble is that nothing will probably change because the Big Media likes this state of affairs just fine Thank You. Besides they will keep hammering away that the REAL problem is left-over Puritanical Christian morality. And it is the low-grade brainwashing that comes in the media which is the most damaging. Somewhere in almost every TV series or movie there is talk that treats casual sex as “everyday life.” One popular TV series had a lead character the other night just mention in passing that she learned a certain fact while in bed with an acquaintance after a date. It is the treating of sexual intercourse with the casualness of a handshake that is the most harmful to unaware young people.
Somewhere in almost every TV series or movie there is talk that treats casual sex as “everyday life.”
Yesterdays watchers of Leave it to Beaver are today’s TV show producers.
A study was required to determine that what people watch on television affects their behavior? What did they think the purpose of commercials was?
….DUH. My undergrad is in theater (not exactly big on scientific theory) and I could have told you that.
I’m with some of the above comments. It doesn’t take religious or scientific insight to come to this conclusion. The media portrays sex in a way that makes it look like something that 1) all cool middle/high schoolers do, 2) is a whole lot of fun and 3) has no serious consequences. Of course kids are going to want to try it ASAP if that’s the image they’re getting.
sexy photos and video
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