Los Angeles (dpa) - Teenagers who watch television programs with
high sexual content double their risk of being involved in a
pregnancy, according to a study published Monday in the journal
Pediatrics.
The RAND Corp study is the first of its kind to identify a link
between teenagers' exposure to sexual content on TV and teen
pregnancies.
"Adolescents receive a considerable amount of information about
sex through television and that programming typically does not
highlight the risks and responsibilities of sex," said the study's
lead author Anita Chandra, in a news release.
"Our findings suggest that television may play a significant role
in the high rates of teenage pregnancy in the United States."
The study surveyed about 2,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 about
their television habits and sexual behavior. Researchers focused on
23 programs - popular teenage shows that included dramas, comedies,
reality programs and animated shows.
Shows such as Sex and the City, That 70s Show and Friends were
considered to have strong content - defined as depictions of sex as
well as dialogues or discussions about sex.
The teens who watched the most sexual content on TV were twice as
likely to have become pregnant or caused a pregnancy over the
following three years, compared to the teens who watched the least
amount of sexual content on TV.
Adolescents who lived in a two-parent household had a lower
probability of pregnancy while African Americans and adolescents with
behaviour problems were more likely to be involved in a pregnancy.
The researchers also found that exposure to sex on television
could create the perception that there is little risk to engaging in
sex without using contraceptives and influence teens to have sex at
an earlier age.
Chandra, the study's lead author, advised parents to limit their
teen's exposure to sexual content on TV. She said TV producers should
consider more realistic depictions of the consequences of sex in
their scripts.
"Right now the message teens are getting is that everything is
great, and there really are no consequences to sex," Chandra said.
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