Sex, TV, & Kids: The Adverse Effects of Adult Programming
A study of 754 kids shows that those who watched television with adult content may become sexually active earlier in adolescence.
The research was done at Children’s Hospital Boston. They tracked kids from age 6 to 18, following what the children watched over the years. When the youngest kids (aged 6-8) watched adult-themed movies and TV, they were a whopping 33 percent more likely to have sex “during early adolescence”.
Yikes!
Children learn from media, and when they watch media with sexual references and innuendos, our research suggests they are more likely to engage in sexual activity earlier in life.
Anyone who has read my blogs before knows that I’m a bit of a lunatic when it comes to TV watching I believe parents should monitor and limit television consumption. I use the word “consumption” because it should be managed like a treat, not sustenance, just as snacks in a well-rounded, healthy diet.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours of TV daily for children. I appreciate their media limit suggestion, but I still think that’s too much. A recent study showed that two hours daily raised the risk of asthma in kids.
Also, that much TV makes me wonder: if your child goes to school all day, comes home and gets that media fill, then does homework and chores and eats dinner, when does she find time to be outdoors?
And now it seems as though it’s not only how much you let the kiddos watch, but the content, too. Perhaps “Twilight” isn’t the best choice for little ones. Or “Sex and the City” for your tween girl. Or prime-time programming that is rich with sexual innuendo for any of the under-teen set.
Use your best sense, folks. If you want to reward your child with the treat of a movie, make sure you’d be comfortable watching it with your own great-grandmother.
As study co-author Dr. David Bickham said,
Adult entertainment often deals with issues and challenges that adults face, including the complexities of sexual relationships. Children have neither the life experience nor the brain development to fully differentiate between a reality they are moving toward and a fiction meant solely to entertain.
Ain’t nuthin’ good about too much TV.
Image: AH!Photography on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
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I agree that too much TV isn’t good for children (or anyone for that matter). However, I disagree with Dr. Bickham’s statement
“Children have neither the life experience nor the brain development to fully differentiate between a reality they are moving toward and a fiction meant solely to entertain.”
It implies that ALL children (under 18?) are unable to differentiate between reality from entertainment, which is untrue. It depends on the child. I was watching horror movies at age 6. I’m not saying this is for everyone, but for me personally, my Dad told me that what I watched on TV was make believe, and that was that. Today, I know many adults that have problems with differentiating fantasy from reality… like with advertising. “Product A will make me happier/healthier/smarter/sexier/etc, so I must buy it!” Like I said before, it depends on the person.
Lynne,
I’m sure you’re right. When I was a teen and watching sitcoms, I got the difference between reality and exaggerations for comedic effect.
I believe that Bickham was referring to the young kids (aged 6-8) not being able to tell those differences. Also, you mentioned your father. I’m not sure everyone out there watches TV with their kids and engages them in discussion about the programming. That’s too bad.
I know people who let their 7yo watch Twilight. Way too much sexual tension in there for a girl that age, IMO. How do you explain that to someone that age?
I don’t think it’s a cause=effect thing. Like: one bad movie, and the child will be promiscuous. But I do think exposure should be taken into consideration for people. Sure, it’s easy to pop your kid in front of the TV. Doing the best thing isn’t always easy. (Lucky for me, my kids like to be “free range”!)
Unfortunately, it’s not just prime time shows with “adult content” that we need to watch out for as parents. I was in the Dr.’s waiting room with my 4 year old and Disney was on. The show was called “The Suite Life with Zach and Cory”. It totally affirmed my decision to ban Disney from my home. I was appalled by the content. The soap opera like storyline is ludicrous. We’re forcing our kids to grow up way too quickly by giving access to this kind of garbage. My kids are too important to me to let television executives brainwash them. If you can’t get your kids away from the TV, put limits on what they CAN watch. The food network, discovery channel, and national geographic have great shows and even their commercials are usually benign.