It’s just a TV show….

It’s just a TV show…or not.

Young people who watched a lot of television with sexual content were about twice as likely to start having intercourse during the subsequent year as those with little exposure to televised sex, researchers found.
High exposure to TV sexual content among those age 12 to 17 also was linked with a lower but still substantially increased risk of starting non-intercourse behavior, including passionate kissing and oral sex, the researchers found. Even shows that only refer to sex but don’t depict it had the effect, they found.

“Exposure to TV that included only talk about sex was associated with the same risks as exposure to TV that depicted sexual behavior,” said Rand Corp. behavioral scientist Rebecca Collins and colleagues.

From innuendoes to depictions of intercourse, sex is pervasive on TV, present in about two-thirds of all shows other than news and sports, and teens watch an average of three hours of television daily, previous research has shown.

TV thus “may create the illusion that sex is more central to daily life than it truly is and may promote sexual initiation as a result,” the researchers said.

No, it never has been just a TV show. I noted 6 years ago that the effect TV had on people was real and measurable. I’m certainly no scientist in the field, but it doesn’t take a expert to realize this. Although it does take a closed mind to ignore it.

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