Teens, sex and the media: Is there a connection?

Christina Grant, MD FRCPC

With the information age exploding through television, music videos, video games and the Internet, there is growing concern about whether teenagers’ exposure to sexual content from media sources may have effects on their sexual behaviours and attitudes. While newer media sources such as the Internet remain largely unstudied, there is a small body of literature linking sexual messages through television and teenagers’ sexual behaviours and attitudes.

While all age groups potentially could be affected by sexual messages on television, adolescents may be particularly vulnerable for a number of reasons. First, teens may not be sufficiently cognitively developed to discern and critique messages from television (1). Second, these messages are bombarding teens at a stage when they are in the midst of developing their values and beliefs around gender roles, sexual behaviours and attitudes. Further, we know that teens spend a great deal of time watching television. The average teen spends 3 h to 4 h per day in front of the television, which in some cases is more time than that spent in the classroom (2,3). The Kaiser Institute has studied both the frequency and content of sexual messages during the family hour on the main American television networks. In their research, there were an average of 8.5 sexual interactions during family hour in 1996, which represented a 270% increase since 1976 (2.3 per hour) (2). Further, only 9% of scenes that included sexual content had any mention of issues relating to sexual risks or responsibilities (2).

How risky is teen sex? Approximately 50% of 15 to 19-year-olds are having sexual intercourse (4). We also know that only 29.8% of those who are sexually active use any kind of contraception – including condoms (5). In Canada, 45,000 teenage girls become pregnant each year (6). According to Health Canada, the rate of teen pregnancy has risen over the past 10 years (6). While Canada has a much lower teen pregnancy rate than that of the United States, our rate is still higher than many other industrialized countries such as Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Japan (6). Sexually transmitted infections represent another major cause of morbidity associated with teen sexual activity. In Canada, teenage girls have the highest chlamydia and gonorrhea rates compared with any other age group (7). Further, according to a Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) report, one-half of all new human immunodeficiency virus infections worldwide are occurring among youth (8).

A few studies have assessed the association between the degree and nature of adolescent exposure to sexual content via television and their sexual attitudes and behaviours. In one study of 75 adolescent girls, one-half of whom were pregnant, the researchers found that the pregnant teens watched more soap operas before becoming pregnant and were less likely to think that their favourite soap opera characters would use birth control (9). Another survey of 391 youth revealed that those youth who watched television programs high in sexual content were more likely than those who viewed a smaller proportion of sexual content on television to have had sexual intercourse (10). Data from the United States National Surveys of Children revealed that boys who watch more television had the highest prevalence of sexual intercourse and that those teens who watched television alone had a three to six fold increase in self-reported sexual activity compared to those who watched with their families (11). While a few studies reveal a relationship between watching sexual content and teens’ sexual behaviour, they do not reveal the direction of this relationship. In other words, are sexually active teens seeking out sexual content on television or is the sexual content on television influencing teens to be sexually active? This is the crucial unanswered question in this field because of the lack of longitudinal research (12). Experts agree that in considering the role of media and teens’ sexual behaviour, we must reflect on what has been established in the field of violence and the media where there is a clear directional influence on the role of media and violent behaviour/attitudes (13). Simply put, if adolescents can learn aggressive behaviour from television, could they not also be able to learn sexual behaviour (14)?

Even though the Internet remains unstudied to date, it is a completely unregulated media source that is rampant with sexual images and sexually explicit content. In one American study of teens using computers, 61% reported “surfing the net” and 14% reported “seeing something they wouldn’t want their parents to know about” (13). Given the vast number of sexual messages on the Internet, it is clear that television is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to teens’ exposure to sexual messages.

With respect to intervention strategies in an attempt to limit teens’ exposure to sexual content, there are a number of levels to consider. Lobbying can occur with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the television and telecommunications regulating body in Canada. In addition, individuals can support organizations such as the Action Group on Violence on Television (AGCOT) whose mandate includes content concerns such as sexuality and nudity. The AGCOT is a volunteer, nonprofit organization that was created in 1993 to enable Canadian broadcasting and cable industries to address issues associated with violence on television. With the CRTC’s support, the AGCOT created a classification system based on violent and sexual content to which all broadcasters must encode their programming. This rating system, which has been in effect since 1997, can be combined with V-chip technology to allow parents to control what children/teenagers view in their homes. The V-chip, a Canadian invention, is an electronic filtering technology built into newer televisions (15). Importantly, all information-based programming and music videos are exempt from this classification system.

From the public educational perspective, we can be actively advocating media awareness to be taught in our schools. Fortunately, middle school and high school students in Ontario, similar to other European countries, do receive some mandated teaching in media exposure (13).

Despite the fact that the research lags behind technology, as paediatricians we can be actively educating parents about media effects and giving anticipatory guidance to our patients and their parents. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not more than 2 h per day of all media exposure, monitoring children/teens’ use of media, and watching television as much as possible together with your children (13). Further, there are tools available to paediatricians working with youth to assess the role of media sources in their lives (12). We can begin by taking a media history in our patients (Table 1) (13). In further assessing the potential impact and influence of media, the main concern would be whether a media source is interfering sufficiently in a teen’s life. For example, is time spent on the computer interfering with homework, extracurricular activities or time usually spent with friends? In addition, depending on what the teenager’s favourite television show, computer game or chat room is, is the adolescent exposing himself or herself to particularly violent or sexually explicit material (12)? Finally, could the teenager have an unhealthy association or preoccupation with a particular media activity or media character? This may be exemplified by a desire to relive favourite plots or media events (12).

TABLE 1

Taking a media history

Finally, increased knowledge and longitudinal research in this area requires greater advocacy and commitment by paediatricians. An interesting study in the United States, surveyed paediatric residency programs and found that despite increased awareness of the media’s influence on child health, less than one-third of paediatric residency programs teach about media exposure (16). How are we doing in Canada? Clearly our youth live in a media-saturated environment. How are we assessing the impact of media in their lives and are we teaching future physicians to do so?

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REFERENCES

1. American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Communications Sexuality, contraception, and the media. Pediatrics. 1995;95:298–300. [PubMed]

2. Children Now and the Kaiser Family Foundation Sex, kids and the family hour: A three-part study of sexual content on television 1996. <www.media-awareness.ca/eng/med/home/resource/famhour.htm> (Version current at May 5, 2003).

3. Dietz W, Strasburger VC. Children, adolescents and television. Curr Probl Pediatr. 1991;1:8–31.[PubMed]

4. Sells C, Blum R. Morbidity and mortality among US adolescents: An overview of data and trends. Am J Pub Health. 1996;86:513–9. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

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7. The 1998/1999 Canadian Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report. <http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/00vol26/26s6/index.html> (Version current at May 5, 2003).

8. Center for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, HIV/AIDS Epi Update 2002. <http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/publicat/epiu-aepi/index.html> (Version current at May 5, 2003).

9. Corder-Bolz C. Television and adolescents’ sexual behavior. Sex Education Coalition News. 1981;3:40.

10. Brown J, Newcomer S. Television viewing and adolescents’ sexual behavior. J Homosex. 1991;21:77–91. [PubMed]

11. Peterson JL, Moore KA, Furstenberg FF. Television viewing and early initiation of sexual intercourse: Is there a link? J Homosex. 1991;21:93–118. [PubMed]

12. Gruber E, Grube JW. Adolescent sexuality and the media: A review of current knowledge and implications. West J Med. 2000;172:210–4. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

13. Strasburger VC, Donnerstein E. Children, adolescents, and the media: Issues and solutions. Pediatrics.1999;103:129–39. [PubMed]

14. Brown J, Steele J. Sex and the Mass Media. Menlo Park: Kaiser Family Foundation; 1995.

15. V-Chip Canada <www.vchipcanada.ca> (Version current at April 24, 2003).

16. Rich M, Bar-on M. Child health in the information age: Media education of pediatricians. Pediatrics.2001;107:156–62. [PubMed]

Source : ncbi.nlm.nih.gov