TV gives teens mixed message on sex
By Lynn Elber
Associated Press
Teenagers and parents in TV fiction often have healthy relationships, according to a new study that also finds television sends young viewers mixed messages on sex.
Parent-child clashes tend to be depicted as a normal part of family life, and interaction is just as likely to be cooperative, researchers found.
When it comes to sex, teenagers get 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 TV industry feels a responsibility to its teen audience but is split over what that that 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 that would make them or their parents uncomfortable.
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.
"If families have warts, show the warts. If young people use drugs, show the drug use," was the report's characterization of that point of view.
The study was conducted during 2001 and 2002 by researchers at Stanford University in California, Lewis & Clark College in Oregon and independent researchers.
It 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.
"One of the important things is that so many of the members of the industry were willing to sit down and go on record for an academic study and spill their guts," said Donna Mitroff, president of Mediascope, the group that organized the study with funding from the W. T. Grant Foundation.
Mediascope is a nonprofit organization whose self-described goal is to encourage responsible portrayals of social and health issues in popular culture.
None of the industry members involved in the study denied that TV affects young viewers, noted Stanford professor Donald Roberts.
That's in sharp contrast to the past, when the industry insisted that viewing had little or no effect on youngsters, Roberts said in a statement.
Learn more:
