As you all know, adolescence is the time of recognizing one’s social identity as well as the time of bodily changes. These can be very difficult tasks to manage as an adolescent and according to Keren Eyal et al., television may help teenagers manage these tasks. For example, many adolescents have found television to be a useful tool in learning about different birth control methods, sexual normalcy, and ways to talk to their significant other and/or parents about sex and birth control. For example, Keren Eyal et. al. talk about an episode of Friends where one character became pregnant because of a condom failure. It was said that this episode resulted in “significant increases in knowledge about condoms for 17%…of 12-17 year-olds who saw the episode.“ Also, 10% of teenagers who saw the show reported talking to their parents about condoms and their efficiency. The socialization of sex on television has had a positive effect on adolescents by increasing their knowledge.
Contrarily, the portrayal of sex on TV media has also had a negative effect. Showing sexual activities on television has been known to change the way teenagers think about sex; transforming it from intimate and personal, to recreational and casual (Sex on Teen TV). A lot of exposure to television shows that talk about and show sexual activities accelerates the involvement of sexual intercourse in teenagers (Collins et al., 2004). This was proven by a study done on 12-17 year-olds across the nation. Inevitably this early sexual activity has lead to more teenage pregnancies and more adolescents being diagnosed with STDs. It is said that one third of women, before the age of twenty, become pregnant at least once (National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2004).
The topic of sexual socialization on TV has been seen as a double-edged sword. I believe that this could be changed into an almost entirely positive thing through a couple of ways. First, parents should explain sex to their children as something that is not meant for casual recreation. Second, I think it is important for parents to control what their child watches but still allow some shows that talk about sex in a positive way and help teach adolescents how to deal with the sexual feelings they are experiencing. There are a lot of television dramas on teen networks that talk about sex in an educational way but still entertain adolescents and appeals to their sexual interests. As you can see, while the negative effects of sex on TV are greatly dramatized, there are also positive effects that help teens grow and learn in the stage of puberty.
Sarah Heck
Comm 240 Blog Assignment
Eyal, K., Kunkel, D., Biely, E. N., & Finnerty, K. L. (2007). Sexual socialization messages on television programs
most popular among teens. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 51(2), 316-336.
7 comments:
Good job Sarah!
I agree that television programs have the potential to do some good and be more up front with respect to the truths and myths of sex. I think it's encouraging that some shows out there are trying to educate kids about sex and the consequences it may carry. On the other hand though, it's difficult to imagine that the majority of programs will discontinue glamorizing sex. Sex has always sold and will more than likely continue to barring some sort of FCC/governmental intervention. As you mentioned in your blog, teenage pregnancies are all too frequent in this country. I'm of the view that rather than shielding kids from the sexual content on tv (which they will see soon enough anyways) parents should be up front in explaining that yes, there is a lot of sex and sexual images on television, but television conveniently fails to explain the whole story; the truth.
riegel.29@osu.edu
I thought this was a well thought out and researched article. It was quite fair and explored both sides of television, negative and positive, equally well. I liked the Forest Gump reference; it’s true, the older generations always have a tough time accepting the changing social norms. I agree with your point on parenting. The government can censor and rate everything on TV, but it ultimately comes down to the parents or guardians to supervise what children are watching. I’ve read studies that sate co-viewing (parents and children watching together) helps enormously with difficult topics. The parents can explain things, and if nothing else, the studies show that just having them in the rooms helps adolescents understand topics.
Ian Stroud
Stroud.38
I would have to agree when you say that sex on television has grown through the years. There are many shows targeted toward teens that have a lot of sexual content or dialog. Friends did a good job of pointing out that condoms are 97% effective and there are other shows that do the same thing as Friends and educate their audience with information. Another popular show like Gossip Girl can glamorize sex and make it seem casual and this is wrong because the characters in the show are high school students and that sends a message that its ok to engage in sexual activity casually at a young age. Parents do need to watch out for what their children watch and talk to them about what they are watching or get a V-chip for their television.
Dimple Patel
patel.867
Sarah,
Really good article! We all know that sex sells, but if it can be used to educate young people than there can be some good to come from it. Opening the dialogue about sex between a parent and children is never easy but who better to explain to the child about the negatives and positives of sex then a parent that knows the real world and will not glamourize sex. And lets face it sex is a huge part of our culture. For those people that don't engage in sex until they get married, what do they do their first night together? Sex on TV isn't going to go away unless there is some kind of intervention. Parents must know what their child is watching and be open to answering questions about the topic if the conversation heads that direction.
Whoops...forgot to put miller.4074@osu.edu at the end of that comment!
The increasing amount of sex on television has become a trend in today's society that is looked upon as acceptable by a number of people. Many people do not consider the glamorization of such a strong and sensitive topic to be anything out of the ordinary. For adults, I believe that the content is okay because they have reached a level of maturity and experience and can therefore decipher between fictitious scenarios and "hyped up" media portrayals. However, the problem arises because, in most cases, not only adults have access to these programs. Teens and young adults are susceptible to the scripts they see carried out on screen and are likely to imitate them particularly when they identify with one of the characters, whether the actions they see are good or bad.
scott.917
Your post has shown good reason why sex on television is good and I can see where there are benefits to having youth exposed to sexuality through television is important. However the degree of what is shown on television has continued to increase over the years. Ten years ago what we today consider “acceptable” would not have been tolerated. Youth need to be exposed to sex however what they are exposed to today is that sex is good and fun and not a big deal. Your blog addresses this issue however it is only going to get worse an there is no way to tell when it will stop.
johnson.2802
Post a Comment