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Study: High Media Exposure Leads to Early Sexual Activity

April 4, 2006

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A new study establishes a strong connection between young adolescents' media diet and increased sexual intercourse. The study found that white 12-14 year-olds who had a heavier sexual media diet were more than two times likely to have intercourse when 14-16 years old than those adolescents who had a lighter sexual media diet.

The relationship was not as significant for black teens, who seemed to be more influenced than their white peers by their parents' expectations and their friends' sexual behavior than by what they hear or see in the media, according to the study published in the journal Pediatrics.

But while one of the strongest risk factors for early sexual intercourse for both black and white teens was the perception that his or her peers were having sex, the study says that one of the strongest protective factors against early sexual behavior was clear parental communication about sex.

According to the authors, parents rarely talk with their children about sex in a timely and comprehensive way, and schools are increasingly limited in what they can say. In such a context, the mass media may be powerful educators because they provide frequent and compelling portraits of sex as fun and risk-free.

In 2002, for example, more than 83 percent of the 20 television shows that adolescents frequently watched included sexual content; but only about 1 in 8 of those shows included any depiction of sexual risks and/or responsibilities.

This study found that it is not only television but also other media, such as music, movies, and magazines that push adolescents toward sexual activity.

The authors conclude that media literacy education for parents and youth, partnerships with youth-oriented media, and physician education and intervention are opportunities to help reduce media's negative effects and perhaps enhance the positive.

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