Early sex in the teen population is an important moral, social, and health issue. Although most sexually experienced teens in the church say they wish they had waited longer to have sex, unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases are more likely in those who began sexual activity at earlier ages. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that sex scenes on TV may contribute to early teen sex. About two-thirds of TV programs contain sexual content. Teens who see more sexual content on TV are more likely to have sex or move to more advanced sexual activities. Exposure to TV that includes only talk about sex has the same risks as exposure to TV that shows sexual behavior. Teens who watch more programs that show sexual risks or safety measures are less likely to have sex.

Since watching sex on TV likely speeds up teen sexual initiation, reducing the amount of sexual content, reducing teen exposure to this content, or increasing references to and images of possible negative consequences of sexual activity will likely delay the initiation of sexual activities. Parents may be able to reduce the effects of sexual content by watching TV with their teenaged children and discussing their own values and beliefs about sex and the behaviors shown. Churches should encourage these family discussions, but should not ignore the subject themselves. Abstinence education that includes the negative consequences of casual sex should be visited in Bible studies and youth group activities, as well.

The teen years are an important time of sexual exploration and development. During this time, teens begin to think about which sexual behaviors are enjoyable, moral, and appropriate for their age. Many teens, including those who are churched, become sexually active during this time. Almost half of all high school students in the United States have had sex at least once. Although sex among teens is common, most sexually active teens, especially those in the church, say they wish they had waited longer to have sex, which implies that they’re having sex before they’re ready to face its consequences.

Each year, 1 out of every 4 sexually active teens in the United States is diagnosed with a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), and the US rate of teen pregnancy is one of the highest of all industrialized countries. Unplanned pregnancies and STDs are more common among those who begin sexual activity earlier, so early sexual initiation is an important health issue, as well as a moral one. So why are our children becoming more sexually active at younger and younger ages? What speeds up sexual initiation, and what might delay it? There is good reason to think that TV may lead to early sexual activity.

The average teen watches more than 3 hours of TV daily. Sexual messages and images are often commonplace on many TV programs, with sexual content appearing in more than half of all programs. Talk about sex is even more common than actual images of sexual behavior. About 1 out of every 7 programs includes a sex scene. This high-dose exposure to sex scenes may affect teens’ beliefs about both what is moral and normal sexual behavior. TV may give the false impression that sex is more important than it really is and may encourage earlier sex in teens. Exposure to the social models provided by TV may also change beliefs about the consequences of sexual activity.

Social learning theory would say that teens who see characters having casual sex without experiencing the negative consequences associated with it will be more likely to embrace the behaviors they see. Although televised sexual images can theoretically inhibit sexual activity when they include images of sexual risks (such as the possibility of contracting an STD or becoming pregnant), abstinence, or the need for sexual safety, this happens in very few shows with sexual content. Only 1 out of every 7 TV shows that include sexual content includes any safe sex messages, and most of these are emphasized very little within the scene. So sexual content on TV is more likely to encourage sexual activity than it is to discourage it. TV has already been shown to encourage violent and aggressive behavior, so it’s also more likely to encourage early sexual initiation. The link is clear between sexual content on TV and teens’ attitudes toward sex, and their unhappiness with virginity, as well as its influence on their beliefs about what’s moral and normal sexual behavior.

More exposure to sex on TV may lead to earlier sexual initiation, but sexually active teens may also choose to watch more sexual content than their peers who are sexually inactive. This possibility can’t be ignored, especially by parents who aren’t at home when their kids are. For example, teens who have little supervision may be free to watch more TV and to choose programs with sexual content and may also have more opportunities to have sex. When teens are unsupervised by a parent or other guardian, they have more opportunity to watch and engage in sexual activity.

Although the church, TV producers, and the general public have expressed concern regarding sexual content, images of sexual behavior have been given most of the attention. Social learning theory says that hearing sexual talk or seeing sexual behavior will both encourage teens to have sex, as long as the consequences aren’t shown in a negative light. Teens exposed to greater amounts of sexual content on TV, whether seen or heard, will likely have sex sooner or move more quickly to higher levels of other sexual activity, but knowledge of safety issues or the risks of sexual activity will likely delay it.

While a menu of high sexual content on TV is likely to advance the initiation of sex and other sexual activity, TV exposure to the risks of sex is less likely to lead to advanced sexual behaviors. Sex is also less likely to be initiated where parental supervision is present, when teens live with both parents, or have parents who discourage early sexual activity. Being at home when your kids are, being in a long term marriage, and being moral and religious may also delay early sexual activity in your teens. Exposing your teens to the risks of sex through abstinence education, whether at home or in the church, may also discourage sexual activity.

Exposure to sexual content on TV is a strong predictor of sex initiation among virgins. Exposure to sexual content is also strongly linked to advanced sexual activity other than sex, which they may believe will preserve their virginity. The likelihood of sex initiation is about twice as likely for those exposed to a greater amount of sexual content on TV. Other than being exposed to sexual content, only less parental supervision is likely to advance sexual activity in virgins.

The amount of sexual content viewed by teens often advances their sexual behavior during the following year. Teens who see more sexual content than average behave sexually like teens, who are much older, but watch average amounts of sex on TV. Watching higher levels of sexual content effectively doubles the likelihood of initiating sex in the next year and greatly increases the initiation of other sexual activity. Only a small shift in the average sexual content of TV programs may significantly influence sexual behavior, but exposure to sex risks or the need for sexual safety may delay it. But as noted, sexual content that shows the possible negative outcomes of having sex is very rare and is emphasized very little when it is included. The fact that an association between seeing sexual risks and a delay of sexual activity can be noted indicates that teens are more strongly affected by those images.

It may be that some teens are more likely than others to use TV as a source of sexual information. Social learning theory says that information is gathered from what others say about a behavior as well as what they do, because both indicate social approval or disapproval of the activity in question. It apparently makes little difference whether a TV show presents people talking about sex or shows them actually having sex. Both affect what teens believe is moral and normal sexual behavior. Both sex talk and sexual behavior appear to have similar effects on teens.

Sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are clearly influenced by TV content and other media outlets that contain sexual content. Although TV accounts for more of teens’ time than any other medium, the sexual content on the internet, films, music, and magazines is also likely to speed sexual advancement, so it’s important to address these other contributions to sexual socialization in taking intervention steps.

Reducing the amount of sexual talk and behavior on TV or the amount of time that teens are exposed to this content is likely to delay the initiation of sex and other sexual activities. Including information on sex risk and safety issues in sexual content, may also delay early sexual activity among teens. Reducing or minimizing exposure to sexual content on TV isn’t that difficult. Parents who limit the TV viewing of their teens and view programs with them, while discussing their own morals and beliefs regarding the behaviors shown, may be able to reduce the effects of positively shown sexual content on their children’s behavior. This helps limit the negative effects of sexual images that do not contain risk information.

This counsel is in line with the American Academy of Pediatrics, which states that pediatricians should encourage family discussions of media and its effects on sexual behavior. This is likely the best way to curb the effects of sexual content on teen behavior, though abstinence messages from others in the Christian community may be helpful as well. Including information about the consequences of casual sex in Bible studies and youth groups may also help deter sexual activity among young people in the church.

Reference:

Collins, Rebecca L.; Elliott, Marc N.; Berry, Sandra H.; Kanouse, David E.; Kunkel, Dale; Hunter, Sarah B.; and Miu, Angela. Watching Sex on Television Predicts Adolescent Initiation of Sexual Behavior. (2004) PEDIATRICS Vol. 114 No. 3. Available: http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/114/3/e280