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The Media and Teenage Sex

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There is an overwhelming amount of sexual content in the media today. The media’s portrayal of sex is very unrealistic. It is glamorized and portrays sex as a casual activity and consequence-free. While the media occasionally delivers positive messages, they also have a tendency to convey negative messages as well. Teens who spend most of their time engrossed in television, music and the internet are more likely to engage in sexual activity. Television and music have also become increasingly sexualized. The average American teenager watches about three hours of television a day (Collins et al., n.d.) Typical teen shows are full of sexual content, which may include touching, kissing, and jokes, to conversations about sexual activity and portrayals of intercourse. Two out of every three shows on TV include sexual content and sexual intercourse is represented or strongly implied in one of every ten shows on TV ("Teen Health and the Media," n.d.) Sexual content on television is shown in such a way that it seems like the norm. For example, it is not unusual to see a couple have sex on their first date. Sex is made to seem as if it not a big deal, and is done by everyone whether they are married or not, and the risks are hardly ever mentioned. According to the “Teen Futures Media Network” only 10% of all television programs contain sexual scenes with any reference to the possible risks or responsibilities related to sex, including pregnancy or STDs ("Teen Health and the Media," n.d.). However, shows that show teens engaging in sexual situations are much more likely than other shows to mention safer sex, waiting to have sex, or risk of sexual activity ("Teen Health and the Media," n.d.). A 2008 study, examined the link between teenage parenthood and found that teens who watched sexually explicit television (from simple shows that just talk about a character having sex to shows with soft sex scenes) were twice as likely as other teens who did not watch those shows, to have a baby by age 16 (Toppo, 2008)). The study concluded that when teens view sexually explicit content, they assume that everyone is doing it so there are not any major consequences to sex (Toppo, 2008). Television, obviously isn’t all bad. There are many benefits to television programming if portrayed correctly. According to a recent survey of regular viewers of the show, ER, 53 percent said that they le

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