Surprisingly, the answer is yes and no. Teenagers who sit in and watch television all the time obviously are not going out and partying, so they are less likely to have sex. In this case, TV does not have a negative effect on sexual health; however is it not healthy to sit in front of the TV all day either. The “steamy television” is what studies say are more likely to affect teen pregnancy or sexual behavior. “When most of the television a teen watches is sexual in nature, risk for teen pregnancy doubles compared to kids who watch little or no sexually-themed television.” (Parker)Of course, the shows that appeal to teenagers are all the drama-filled ones that are all about sex. Producers of these shows don’t care about the alarming pregnancy rates or the std’s that are transmitted because of the rising number of young kids having sex; they are just in it to make their money. Television shows are all scripted and the producers write in sex scenes as if they mean nothing. Young kids may not realize that it is just a show and the things they are seeing on TV should not happen in real life. Studies show that teens who watch these shows with casual, unprotected sex are more likely to go out and demonstrate these acts themselves. This is a huge warning to parents to monitor what their children are watching. You should not prevent kids from watching them but make sure they are informed of the consequences that can come from having sex. If kids are well informed it should not matter what they see on TV because they will know the truth about sex and pregnancies.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/behind-the-statistics-on-tv-and-teen-pregnancy/
3 comments:
Before i read the last part of your second paragraph i was going to say that i dont think it would matter what they watch on tv, what i think matters the most is what their parents are (or are not) teaching their kids. Good article
I agree with Daniel I was a little worried you were basically saying don't watch these shows or other shows which isn't the problem. i was going to say people shouldn't be stupid enough to go copy what they see but, some people do. Parents should be the ones to inform their kids about sex and everything else.
This is a great blog! It's a good topic that not many have covered yet and it provides us with adequate information about sexual health and it's correlation to media release. It bothers me how trashy celebrities dress and how much their wreckless and immature behavior catches our attention. Girls see this and think that by acting this way, they'll get better populatiry amongst their peers because they act like celebrities. What ever happened to intergrity and self-respect? I think what bothers me most is the fact that as a culture we're supposed to look up to these people who reveal certain body parts no one needs to see and party to the point where they need to be carried out of clubs. What happened to the Nicole Kidmans of the world? Parents also have a responsiblity to teach their kids about sexual behavior. They also need to show their children that what they see in the media is most often not ok in real society.
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