The study consisted of 754 participants, 365 males and 389 females, who were tracked during two stages in life: first during childhood, and again five years later when their ages ranged from 12 to 18-years-old."Television and movies are among the leading sources of information about sex and relationships for adolescents," Hernan Delgado, MD, the lead author of the study, said in the ScienceDaily article. "Our research shows that their sexual attitudes and expectations are influenced much earlier in life."
At each stage, the television programs and movies viewed, and the amount of time spent watching them over a sample weekday and weekend day were logged. The program titles were used to determine what content was intended for adults. The participants' onset of sexual activity was then tracked during the second stage. ...
When the youngest children in the sample--ages 6 to 8-years-old--were exposed to adult-targeted television and movies, they were more likely to have sex earlier when compared those who watched less adult-targeted content. The study found that for every hour the youngest group of children watched adult-targeted content over the two sample days, their chances of having sex during early adolescence increased by 33 percent.
Previous studies have revealed that many teens who don't engage in early sexual activity and a host of other potentially problematic behaviors cite positive parental influence as the key factor in their decisions.
Labels: adolescents, sex, teenagers, television, parental-involvement
Posted By: Aspen/CRC