Study Shows Teenagers Receive Mixed Lessons About Sex From TV,
Healthy Family Portrayals
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES June 25, 2004 - Teenagers and parents in TV fiction often portray healthy relationships but television sends young viewers mixed messages about sex, a new study shows.
Parent-child clashes were depicted but the conflicts tended to be seen as a "normal" part of family life and the interaction was equally likely to be cooperative, researchers found.
When it comes to sex, teenagers receive a "highly inconsistent picture of what sexual relations are and can be," the study concluded.
"Explicit and implicit lessons ranged from 'Virginity is a sign that a boy is a loser' to 'Teens don't need to be sexually active to be cool,'" according to the study released Thursday.
The study was conducted during 2001 and 2002 by researchers at Stanford University in California and Lewis & Clark College in Oregon and by independent researchers. It was organized by the nonprofit group Mediascope with funding from the W. T. Grant Foundation.
The study included interviews with 45 network executives, producers and writers and an analysis of the content of "The Simpsons," "Boston Public," "Gilmore Girls," "ER" and other series.
The TV industry feels a responsibility toward the teenage audience but is split over what that obligation entails, the study concluded.
One camp believes there's a responsibility to protect youngsters from topics or treatments they might not be able to handle or would make them or their parents uncomfortable, according to the study.
Others believe that restraint, while sometimes valuable, "usually should be trumped" by the need to "tell the whole story, to be honest and complete in reflecting social reality," the study found.
None of the industry members involved in the study denied that TV affects young viewers, said Stanford professor Donald Roberts. In the past, the industry insisted that viewing had little or no effect on youngsters, Roberts said in a statement.
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment