Adult TV for kids means earlier sex as teens

May 6, 9:38 AMSF Health News ExaminerJefferson Adams

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the SF Health News Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Insert photo caption or credit here

Children exposed to adult-themed movies and TV shows are likely to have sex earlier in their teenage years than their peers who were not similarly exposed, according to a new study by Children's Hospital Boston.

The results of the study were presented recently at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Baltimore. The study followed 754 kids first in childhood and again five years later when they were aged 12 to 18. According to the data, earlier exposure to adult content correlated to the earlier sexual activity in the teenage years.

Every hour of adult-targeted television or movies seen by the kids over two sample days when they were between 6 and 8 years old, correlated to a 33% increased risk of sexual activity in early adolescence.

According to lead author Dr. Hernan Delgado, a fellow in the Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, TV and movies are major sources of information about about sex and relationships for adolescents. This study suggests that their "sexual attitudes and expectations are influenced much earlier in life," he says.

Dr. Delgado's colleague, co-author David Bickham, staff scientist in the Center on Media and Child Health points out that adult themed programs often address mature, complex topics including sexual issues. Because they lack real world experience and because their brains are not yet developed, they cannot completely distinguish between a realistic portrayal and one embellished for entertainment purposes, Bickham says.

According to this study, when kids are exposed to programs with sexual references and innuendos, are more likely to become sexually active earlier in life.