Media Influences

Life can imitate art and strong messages are sent via entertainment, news and advertising media. Media communication can be slanted, flawed and spun to suit any number of agendas and is not always based on accurate facts. Recognizing this weakness in media can empower you to sort out fact from fiction.

1. Exposure to Sexual Content on TV Leads to More Teen Pregnancies      
   Teens who are exposed to large amounts of sexual content on TV are more than twice as likely to be involved in an unplanned pregnancy than those with minimal exposure. (2008)
    

2. Smoking in Movies Leads to Smoking Among Adolescents
   Viewing smoking in movies strongly predicts whether or not adolescents initiate smoking, and the effect increases significantly with greater exposure. Adolescents who view the most smoking in movies are almost three times more likely to initiate smoking than those with the least amount of exposure. (July 26, 2003)
    

3. Sexualization of Women Has Many Negative Consequences
   The sexualization of Women, which occurs in a variety of manners (including through media and toys), has negative cognitive, emotional, physical, sexual, and social consequences. (2007)
    

4. TV's Family Hour Has More Violence and Sexual Content than Ever  
   Primetime network family hour programming contains an average of once instance of objectionable content every 3.5 minutes of non-commercial airtime. Since 2000-2001, violence in the family hour has increased by 52.4% and the among of sexual content has increased by 22.1%. (September 2007)
    

5. Degrading Sexual Lyrics May Increase Teen’s Sexual Behavior
   American teens listen to between 1.5 to 2.5 hours of music a day and researchers have found that music with degrading sexual lyrics has been linked to early sexual behavior.(2006)  
    

6. 2hrs a Day of TV + No Parental Supervision = Increased Teen Sex
   Watching television for two or more hours per day and a lack of parental regulation of television programming are each associated with an increased risk of initiating sexual intercourse among adolescents. (2006)
    

7. Sex in Media Accelerates Sexual Activity
   Exposure to sexual content in music, movies, television, and magazines accelerates white adolescents’ sexual activity and increases their risk of engaging in early sexual intercourse. (2006)
    

8. Sexual Content on TV Leads Teens to Initiate Sex Sooner
   Studies suggest that portrayals of sex on entertainment television may contribute to adolescent sex and quicken adolescent sexual initiation. Adolescents who view more sexual content on television are more likely to initiate intercourse and progress to more advanced non-coital sexual activities. (September 2004)