Sex, Media Impact on

Sexual content typically has been defined as any depiction of sexual activity, sexually suggestive behavior, or talk about sexuality or sexual activity. It has been estimated that the typical American adolescent encounters about 10,000 to 15,000 sexual references, jokes, and innuendoes in the media each year.

Despite ongoing criticism of the media's increasingly frequent and explicit sexual content, less than 1% of published research studies have investigated the association between media exposure and sexual beliefs and behaviors. Much of the research has focused on documenting what kind of sexual content is in various kinds of media, while only a few studies have linked that content with subsequent effects on sexual behavior. Most of the studies of sexual content have focused on television, with an emphasis on prime-time shows, music videos, and soap operas; fewer studies have examined magazines, feature films, music, advertising, videogames, and the Internet.

[Page 754]The Kaiser Family Foundation has sponsored a biennial study of sex on television since the late 1990s. These studies have shown that sexual content is prevalent, varies slightly by genre, and has increased in frequency. In general, television's sexual content is not typically visually graphic but is dominated by either verbal innuendo or less explicit physical acts; most of the sexual action and language occurs outside marital relationships; discussion and depiction of sexual planning and consequences are rarely portrayed; and women's physical beauty and men's strength and physical prowess are emphasized. In short, television frequently portrays spontaneous, glamorous sexual behavior outside long-term relationships. The typical depiction of sexual activity has been classified as recreational rather than relational.

Sexual images and messages are more explicit in some mainstream magazines, especially women's and men's health and fitness magazines. Women's magazines encourage women to focus on increasing their sexual desirability to gain the attention of men. The work of relationships is depicted as the exclusive domain of women, while men are expected always to be ready for sex.

In the early part of the 21st century, the average adolescent in the United States spends more than 40 hours per week with some form of mass media. Many have access to the media in the privacy of their own bedrooms, and many spend more time with the media than with their parents. Simultaneously, school systems are increasingly reluctant to provide comprehensive sex education. Given this heavy frequency of media use, relatively less time spent with parents, school reticence, and increased access to sexual content in the media, it is reasonable to expect that children and adolescents might be learning about sex from the media. Adolescents often cite the media as one of their top sources of sexual information.

Early correlational studies and a few experimental studies in which exposure to sexual content was varied found that more frequent exposure to sexually oriented television genres such as soap operas and music videos was associated with more permissive attitudes about premarital sex among adolescents. Two longitudinal studies also showed that exposure to sexual content in the media was related to earlier sexual behavior. Collins et al. (2004) conducted a telephone survey of a representative sample of 12-to-17-year olds and found that increased exposure to sexual content on television increased the likelihood of a teen having sexual intercourse within the following year. Brown et al. (2006) found that greater exposure to a diet of sexual content across four media (television, movies, music, magazines) in early adolescence predicted earlier initiation of sexual intercourse 2 years later. Thus, the pattern of findings indicate that exposure to sexual media content is indeed linked to sexual outcomes.

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