Words: 2044
Sex in the media It is about time people all around the world realize the effect television has on children and their behavior. The media has been using sex and violence to sell their product and services without people even being aware of it. The sexual language and content is right in front of them but somehow is over looked every day by parents.
Children under the age of eight do not know the difference between real life and fantasy/entertainment… With media using sex as a way to sell these children are forced to see things they cannot understand, this makes their ideas of relationships tainted and will affect them the rest of their lives in one way or another. Too many children receive their sex knowledge from sources other than their parents, school, or church. The Average time a child spends watching TV each day is four hours. The photo to the right is what we are all used to seeing and is decent for children to see without influencing kids with sex.
Current studies research the effects of exposure to the portrayal of sex on television and on sexual attitudes and moral judgments. Specifically, the studies test the effects of Exposure, consequences of premarital sex. The studies examine the effects sexual media has on the important development period of emerging adulthood, between the ages of 18 and 25. A study given shows that 44% of kids say they watch something different when they’re alone than with their parents. Approximately 62% say that sex on TV shows and movies influences kids to have sex when they are too young.
Seventy seven% say there is too much sex before marriage on television. And 54% of children have a TV in their bedroom to we’re they watch programs unmonitored. For example, television used to show situations like this one innocent and nonsexual. This image shows two people talking possibly flirting but not showing anymore. That was the way programs used to be. This is an innocent way of getting there point across. Television, is a highly influential source for children, has been both part of the solution and part of the problem in the area of sex and body image for woman and children.
For both women and girls body image is important and is a life altering thing some may take it to extreme measures to fit in with societies so called perfect body. In some cultures this is very different body images around the world vary also the way they discuss lovemaking. In some countries it can be and is discussed openly and freely. However, this is not true in the United States. A study of 1792 adolescents showed that watching sex on TV influences teens to have sex. Children who watch sexual content were more likely to initiate intercourse.
The higher exposure to sex on TV the more likely a child were almost twice as likely than kids with lower exposure to initiate sex. Study Conducted by RAND and published in the September 2004 issue of Pediatrics. In a sample of programming from the 2001-2002 TV seasons, sexual content appeared in 64% of all TV programs. Those programs with sexually related material had an average of 4. 4 scenes per hour. Talk of sex is more frequent (61%) versus. overt portrayals (32%). one out of every seven programs includes a portrayal of sexual intercourse.
Such as, the picture of a show about finding a super model, and the other picture is an ad for a Calvin Klein product in both pictures sex was used to get the attention of consumers. The pressure put on woman and children through ads, television, film and new media to be sexually attractive and sexually active is profound. The National Eating Disorders Association reports that one out of four TV commercials send some kind of “attractiveness message,” telling viewers what is and is not attractive.
When a person does not match that they do unhealthy things to try to achieve the stereotype. Some people assume that regulating the programs with sexual content is self-evident that it’s a waste of time to even do any research on the effects. Because of the contrivers that surrounds the issues of sex in general; it has been difficult to do research especially when the research involves children and can threaten the misconceptions held by most adults. The subject of violence in the media is being researched, and has not had the same type of opposition as the subject of sex.
It is interesting to find that research on sex appear to be much less contradictory and confusing than research on violence. Children often behave differently after they’ve been watching violent or sexual programs on television. Children who watched violent shows were more likely to strike out at playmates, argue, disobey authority and were less willing to wait for things and children who watched sexual shows were more likely to be overly flirtatious and promiscuous than that of children who watched nonviolent or sexual programs. – American Psychological
Association, Family and Relationships -Get the Facts: Children and Television Violence Eileen Zurbriggen, PhD (Chair) Associate Professor of Psychology, Psychology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz Expertise: Associations between power and sexuality, including rape, childhood sexual abuse, and mental connections between power and sex (such as eroticizing dominance and submission). She is currently conducting a study to investigate the ways in which college students link power and sex, and the messages concerning these linkages that they receive from parents, peers, and the media.
Deborah Tolman, EdD Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality, San Francisco State University Expertise: Adolescent sexuality, specifically the sexuality of girls, focused on their experiences of their own sexuality; gender and its development in adolescence, specifically in tandem with sexuality; how boys’ sexuality development and girls’ sexuality development co-occur through adolescence; mental health as it relates to gender and sexuality; sexual content on television; sexualization of adolescent girls; and both mental health and healthy sexuality.
A big part of the problem with parents is that they are uncomfortable with the discussion of sex with their children and find it hard to communicate their thoughts about sex. Even though they want and need to talk to their children as children they learned certain things are just not discussed. Unfortunately, many things they were not meaning to say are communicated to these children, and the problem with that is these children do not know what or how to process this new knowledge and since their parents are having such a hard time they turn to their friends.
For most parents, it may be easier to talk with their children not about the facts surrounding sex, but some basic morals and their attitudes toward such. Even so, there can be a huge discrepancy between impression and reality when it comes to the sex lives of teenagers. Parents need to realize if they do not talk with their children some else will do it for them and more than likely it will not be the message they wanted their children to hear. Manley’s study indicated that 72% of boys and girls receive their sex knowledge from sources other than their parents, school, or church.
In a 1960 study among 600 teenagers who came into venereal disease clinics in New York, it was learned that 64% received all their sex information from peers and television. The same source for “sex education” has been found to predominate among teenage unwed mothers. Government studies have shown 42% of all brides under 20 are pregnant, and 14% of all births are illegitimate. Even with easily accessible birth control. This also has a drastic affect on young couples and their relationships, if it even leads to marriage most of the time it ends with divorce or separation.
In addition to examining the effects of exposure to sexual content on television immediately after viewing, this study examines whether such effects persist over time. “While these findings are helpful, more evidence is needed about the duration of effects, in general (Huston et al. , 1998). ” A report of the American Psychological Association (APA) found evidence that sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harmful to girls’ self-image and healthy development. Such things like this TV program showing what they claim are attractive women.
Research has shown that the sexualization of girls negatively affects girls and young women across a variety of health domains: “Among sexually active girls, those who had low BMI and perceived themselves as overweight or had overweight misperceptions were less likely to report condom use at last sex. Sexually active girls who perceived themselves as overweight were also more likely to have had sex before age 13…” Based on studies regarding body image and self-esteem, the researchers found that “girls with a negative body image of themselves may be more vulnerable and at a higher rate of sexual behaviors.
Cognitive and Emotional Consequences: Sexualization and objectification undermine a person’s confidence and comfort with her own body. In turn can lead to emotional and self-image problems such as shame and anxiety. Mental and Physical Health: Research links sexualization with three of the most common mental health problems diagnosed in girls and women???eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression or depressed mood. Sexual Development: Research suggests that the sexualization of girls has negative consequences on girls’ ability to develop a healthy sexual self-image.
The attitude an individual has toward human sexuality is highly symbolic. It not only tells us much about that individual’s personal feelings of security and insecurity, but how the person deals with life in general. -Cherry Lee The answer is not to take away sexuality in the media; it also can not be a preachy strictly negative approach to sexuality (Sex is sin, and it will invariably get a person into trouble. ); nor should it be a highly romanticized or unrealistic portrayal of sex. These methods have caused, and are still causing, major problems for children and their parents alike.
A sex is sin, is often taught in such a way that when a child grows older it is hard to change the frame of mind even after marriage. Divorces and other social problems are known to happen as a result. Even with normal adult sexual contact, they have been known to link it with sin, so that even normal accepted sexual behavior in their eyes is now considered sin. With all the studies that have been done within the past and present, we as adults need to come together and make changes to the rules that govern and regulate the content of what the media can put on the air like it was, not that long ago.
The effects have shown irreversible damage to children in many ways such as psychologically and emotionally. The studies have proven that body image and sexual exploration at young ages are closely linked to the shows, ads, and movies that children watch. If something is not done to address these issues the children will be the ones who will suffer for it, and their children. Unfortunately children these days are having their own children at younger ages.
In turn puts more pressure on the parents of the children having babies because they are too young to care for themselves let alone a child. This makes the grandparents parents to a new baby while their child grows up the rest of the way. People need to step back and ask the question is what we are doing to these children necessary or is there another way to handle things that will not have such an impact on children’s lives. Resources; Parentstv. org Facts and TV Statistics Pediatrics. org abcnews. go. om/Health/MindMoodNews/media-violence-sex-threaten-kids-pediatricians swtuopproxy. museglobal. com, estimating the Longitudinal Association between Adolescent Sexual Behavior and Exposure to Sexual Media Content Journal of Sex Research, (2009, Nov 01); 46(6); p586 11p swtuopproxy. museglobal. com, The Effects of Sex in Television Drama Shows on Emerging Adults’ Sexual Attitudes and Moral Judgments Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, (2008, Jun 01); 52(2); p161 swtuopproxy. museglobal. com, The Myths of Teen Sex Newsweek, (2008, Jun 09); 151(23); p55 1p