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In my previous post, I suggested a connection between watching sexual content on TV and having more permissive attitudes about sex in general (Ward, Epstein, Caruthers, & Merriwether, 2011; Ward & Friedman, 2006; Ward & Rivadeneyra, 1999). Now that you know this, do you agree? And where do we go from here?

The critical thing to understand about this research is that it SUGGESTS a trend and not a FACT. In other words, we cannot prove that watching much sexual content on TV will give you more liberal attitudes about sexuality. Like our behavior, many other things could affect young people’s attitudes about sex.

First of all, we are not even sure if media is affecting attitudes or if it is the other way around. It could be that young people who already have liberal sexual attitudes are just seeking out shows that have more sexualized content (Ward & Friedman, 2006). Also, for those studies that focused on attitudes and not behavior, it is hard to say that people will engage in sexual behaviors solely because of what they are watching.

This brings us to the topic of permissive sexual attitudes itself. I believe a significant concern adults have about teens with permissive sexual attitudes is that teens will inevitably engage in risky sexual behaviors. Their concern, while understandable, does not have to become true. Many resources talk about ways to protect oneself from contracting STIs. Websites like http://www.scarleteen.com/, http://sexetc.org/, and http://www.itsyoursexlife.com/ provide excellent information about STI prevention.

So, having permissive sexual attitudes is not necessarily a death sentence. It just means that we have to look deeper into what sexuality means to us in general, the evolution of relationships, and what it means to be a young person today.

Let’s have that conversation together.

Until next time…

References

Ward, L. M., Epstein, M., Caruthers, A., & Merriwether, A. (2011). Men’s media use, sexual cognitions, and sexual risk behavior: Testing a mediational model. Developmental Psychology, 47(2), 592-602. doi:10.1037/a0022669

Ward, L. M., & Friedman, K. (2006). Using TV as a guide: Associations between television viewing and adolescents’ sexual attitudes and behavior. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 16(1), 133-156.

Ward, L. M., & Rivadeneyra, R. (1999). Contributions of entertainment television to adolescents’ sexual attitudes and expectations: The role of viewing amount versus viewer involvement. Journal of Sex Research, 36(3), 237-249.