When your kids
turn on the TV tonight they'll be twice as likely to see
sexual content than they were less than a decade ago. A
new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found just that:
the number of sexual scenes on television has doubled since
1998. Perhaps even more disturbing, 70 percent of teens'
20 favorite shows contain sexual content, and almost half
of them depicted sexual behavior. Overall, two-thirds of
the shows on TV include talk about sex and more than a third
actually depict sexual acts.
Should we be worried about this? Yes, but not because sex
is bad and kids should not know anything about it. The reason
for concern is how the media portray sex. TV and video games
do not feature sex as an important part of human nature.
They feature it as a form of recreation that is without
risk and responsibility.
Consider this fact: Only 19 percent of American teenagers
report they have good communication with trusted adults
about sex and sexuality. That means the overwhelming majority
of kids do not. So where are they getting their information
and their attitudes about sex? From the media, of course.
This is not my opinion - this is what the teens themselves
tell us. A survey published in 2003 revealed that 75 percent
of American teens believe that media portrayals of sex influence
their and their peers' beliefs and behaviors. Another study
in 2004 showed that teens who watch a lot of sexually explicit
media are much more likely to be sexually active.
We have inadvertently delegated sex education to the media.
That's pretty scary when you think of the lessons about
sex that your typical TV sitcom or video game provide. Worse
yet, they seem to be exactly the opposite of the lessons
we want our kids to learn.
So what's a MediaWise parent to do? Two things. The first
is that we need to start communicating with our kids about
sex and about sexuality. Sex is about biology. Sexuality
is about biology, psychology, values and spirituality. Communication
on these matters can't involve lecturing, scare tactics
or demands. It has to be done through listening and honest
sharing. The only way kids will learn the values we want
them to learn is if we take our children seriously and let
them know what we think and why.
Secondly, we need to be watching what our kids watch. There
are some shows which should be out of bounds. And when sex
does appear on TV in ways that we don't agree with, we need
to let our kids know that we notice. How else will our kids
know the difference between the people on the screen and
the ones who love them in real life?
David Walsh, Ph.D. is the founder of the
MediaWise Movement, a program of the National Institute
on Media and the Family (www.mediafamily.org).
His latest book, Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival
Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen,
is a national bestseller.
Our
media culture is changing how kids learn. Donate Now!
