SEXUAL ACTIVITY (Josh McDowell research 2005 and prior) “FORCED SEXUAL INTERCOURSE” “Nationwide, 9.0% of students had ever been physically forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to.” (Jo Anne Grunbaum, Laura Kann, Steve Kinchen, James Ross, Joseph Hawkins, Richard Lowry, William A. Harris, Tim McManus, David Chyen, Janet Collins, “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 53, no. SS-2 (May 21, 2004): 6.) ______________________ “PEDIATRICS” “Adolescents in the United States are engaging in sexual activity at early ages and with multiple partners.” “Approximately 47% of high school students have had sexual intercourse, 7.4% of them before the age of 13 years, and 14% with ≥4 sexual parenters.1” “ Overall, ~822 000 pregnancies occurred among women aged 15 to 19 years in 2000; approximately one third of these pregnancies were among girls <18 years old.2” “Sexually active adolescents are at immediate risk for pregnancy and acquiring sexually transmitted infections. In the United States the risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection is higher among teenagers then among adults.3”
“Sexually active adolescents are at substantially greater risk for depression and suicide.4-7”
“A critical review of the scientific literature and other sources shows that a largely unexplored factor that may contribute to adolescent sexual activity is their exposure to the mass media.”
“The average American youth spends one third of each day with various forms of mass media, mostly without parental oversight.8”
“The mass media have been shown to affect a broad range of adolescent attitudes and behaviors including violence, eating disorders, and tobacco and alcohol use.”
“What we know” “TELEVISION (Broadcast and Cable) and Music Videos)” “The average teenager spends 3 to 4 hours per day watching television.8” “Content” “In the programming most frequently watched by adolescents, 83% contains some sexual content-not just passing references but an average of 6.7 scenes that include sexual topics per hour-and 20% explicitly or implicitly portrays couples engaging in sexual intercourse.10,11 This is after a major reduction in the sexual content of television.12”
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“Effects” “Adolescents who are exposed to television with sexual content are more likely than other adolescents to” “overestimate the frequency of some sexual behaivors13; and” “have more permissive attitudes toward premarital sex.14” “Moreover, the 1 longitudinal study to date finds the watching sex on television (or eve hearing about it) does predict adolescent initiation of sexual behavior.9” “However, most studies are of limited generalizability because of their study designs, sampling procedures, and small sample sizes. They therefore cannot serve as the foundation for data-based policy formulation.” “MOVIES” “Exposure to R-rate Movies: According to a 1993 study, two thirds of Hollywood movies made each year are R-rated, and most young people have viewed these movies before they reach the required age of 17 years (previously 16 years.15 Recent reductions by theaters on under-age ticket sales have not reduced the ability of adolescents to buy such films.16” “Exposure to X-Rated Movies: In 2001, 30% of sexually active minority adolescent females said they had seen an X-rated movie in a theater or on videotape in the 3 months before the survey.17” “Content of R-rated Movies: Two studies have analyzed the content of the tip movie videotape rentals and R-rated movies frequently viewed by youth15,18; both reported a high amount of sexual content, with the most common sexual activity being intercourse between unmarried partners.” “Effects: In at least 1 group of adolescents, those exposed to X-rated movies were more likely to”
“have multiple sexual partners;” “have sex more frequently;” “test positive for Chlamydia;” “have more negative attitudes toward using condoms; and” “not use contraceptives.17”
“We do not know the effects of the sexual content of R-rated movies on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors.” “RADIO” “Exposure: In 1993, adolescents listened to radio nearly 40 hours a week.19 A 2000 peer-reviewed study indicates dramatic declines from this level.8 The current level of exposure is unknown.” “Content: In 1999, 22% of teen-oriented radio segments contained sexual content, 20% of which were ‘pretty explicit’ or ‘very explicit.’20” “Effects: We do not know the effect of exposure to radio on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors.” Sexual Activity – Research 2005 and prior
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“MUSIC” “Exposure: In 2000, teenagers spent an average of almost 18 hours per week listening to music on the radio, CDs, and audiotapes.8” “Content: In 1999, 42% of the songs on 10 top-selling CDs contained sexual content, 41% of which were ‘pretty explicit’ or ‘very explicit’20” “Effects: We do not know the effects of sexually explicit lyrics on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors.” “MAGAZINES” “Exposure: Eighty-five percent of teenagers have read or looked at a magazine in the last 6 months.21” “Content: There are few scientific data on the content of the magazines that adolescents read.” “Effects: We do not know the effects of either sexually explicit ‘adults’ magazines or ‘mainstream’ publications on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors.” “ADVERTISING” “American adolescents are a specific target audience for much consumer adversting because they spend approximately $153 billion per year, an average of $89 per week per teenagers.22” “Exposure: The average American child sees an estimated 20 000 advertisements each year. By the age of 19 years, the average American adolescent ahs absorbed nearly 300 000 advertisements.23” “Content: There are no systematic data concerning the sexual content of the advertising to which adolescents are exposed, although impressions are that it is high.” “Effects: We do not know the effect of the sexual content of adverting on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors.” “VIDEO AND COMPUTER GAMES” “Exposure: In 1999, 70% of households surveyed with children aged 8 to 18 years reported having a video-game system.8” “Content: There are no systematic data concerning the sexual content of the video and computer games most popular with adolescents.” “Effects: We do not know the effects of the sexual content of video and computer games on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors.” “INTERNET” “Exposure: On average, children aged 9 to 17 years use the Internet 4 days per week and spend almost 2 hours online at a time.24”
“Sixty-one percent of teenagers using computers ‘surf the net,’ and 14% report ‘seeing something they wouldn’t want their parents to know about.’25” “Sixty percent of youth report accessing chat rooms and Web sites, mainly alone.8”
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“Content: Although pornography is widely available on the Internet, there are no systematic data concerning the sexual content of the sites that are visited by adolescents.” “Effects: We do not know the effects of Internet sexual content on adolescent sexual attitudes and behaviors.” 1
Grunbaum JA, Kann L, Kinchen S, et al. Youth risk behavior surveillance – United States, 2003 [published correction appears in MMWR Surveill Summ. 2004;53(24):536]. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2004;53(2):1-95” 2 Alan Guttmacher Institute. U.S. Teenager Pregnancy Statistics: Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-ste Information. New York, NY: Alan Guttmacher Institute; 2004. Available at: www.agiusa.org/pubs.state_preganancy_trends.pdf. Accessed April 25, 2005” 3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Division of STD Prevention. STD surveillance, 2000. Available at: www.cdc.gov/std/stats00/TOC2000.htm. Accessed February 3, 2005” 4 Hallfors DD, Waller MW, Ford CA, Halpern CT, Brodish PH, Iritani B. Adolescent depression and suicide risk: association with sex and drug behavior. Am J Prev Med. 2004;27:224-230” 5 Kosunen E, Kaltiala-Heino R, Rimpela M, Laippala P. Risk-taking sexual behavior and self-reported depression in middle adolescent – a school-based survey. Child Care Health Dev. 2003;29:337-344” 6 Shrier LA, Harris SK, Beardslee WR. Temporal associations between depressive symptoms and selfreported sexually transmitted disease among adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002;156:599-606” 7 Orr DP, Beiter M, Ingersoll G. Premature sexual activity as an indicator of psychosocial risk. Pediatrics. 1991;87:141-147” 8 Roberst DF. Media and youth: access, exposure, and privatization. J Adolesc Health. 2000;27(2 suppl):814.” 9 Collins RL, Elliott MN, Berry SH, et al. Watching sex on television predicts adolescent initiation of sexual behavior. Pediatrics. 2004;114(3). Available at: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content//full/114/3/e280” 10 Cope-Rarrar KM, Kunkey D. Sexual messages in teens; favorite primetime television programs. In: Brown JD, Steele JR, Walsh-Childers K, eds. Sexual Teens, Sexual Media: Investigating Media’s Influence on Adolescent Sexuality Mahway, JK: Lawrence Erlbaum; 2002:59-78” 11 Kunkel D, Biely E, Eyal K, Cope-Farrar K, Donnestein E, Fandirich R. Sex on TV 3: a biennial report to the Kaiser Family Foundations. 2003. Available at: www.kff.org/entmedia/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&Page ID=14209. Accessed January 27, 2005” 12 Parents Television Council. Sex loses its appeal: a state-of-the-industry report on sex on TV. 2003. Available at: www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/stateindustrysex/main.asp. Accessed January 27, 2005” 13 Davis S, Mares M-L. Effects of talk show viewing on adolescents. J Commun. 1998;48:69-86” 14 Greeson LE, Williams RA. Social implications of music videos on youth: an analysis of the content and effects of MTV. Youth Soc. 1986;18:177-189” 15 Greenberg BS, Siemicki M, Dorfman S, et al. Sex content in R-rated films viewed by adolescents. In: Greenberg BS, Brown JD, Buerkel-Rothfuss N, eds. Media, Sex and the Adolescent. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press; 1993:45-58” 16 Federal Trade Commission. Marketing violent entertainment to children: a fourth follow-up review of industry practices in the motion picture, music recording & electronic game industries. A Report to Congress 2004. Available at: www.ftc.gov/os/2004/07/040708kidsviolencerpt.pdf. Accessed January 27, 2004” Sexual Activity – Research 2005 and prior
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Wingood GM, DiClemente RJ, Harrington K, Davies S, Hook EW, Kim OM. Exposure to X-rated movies and adolescents’ sexual and contraceptive-related attitudes and behaviors. Pediatrics. 2001;107:1116-1119” 18 Dempsey JM, Reichert T. Portrayal of married sex in the movies. J Sex Cult. 2000;4:21-36” 19 Klein JD, Brown JD, Childers KW, Oliveri J, Porter C, Dykers C. Adolescents’ risky behavior and mass media use. Pediatrics. 1993;92:24-31” 20 Gentile DA. Teen-oriented radio and CD sexual content analysis. 199. Availableat:www.mediafamily.org/research/report_radiocontentanalysis.pdf. Accessed January 21, 2004” 21 Simmons Market Research Bureau [available by subscription only, 230 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10003; summary provided by Patricia Eitel of Pgilvy and Mather]. Simmons Teen. 2000” 22 Brown JD. Adolescents’ sexual media diets. J Adolesc Health. 27(2 suppl): 35-40, 2000” 23 Zollo P. Getting Wiser to Teens: More Insights Into Marketing to Teenagers. 3rd ed. Ithaca, NY: New Strategist Publications; 2003” 24 American Academy of Pediatrics, committee on Public Education, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Psychological Association. Sexuality, contraception, and the media. Pediatrics. 2001;107:191-194” 25 Strasburger VC, Donnerstein E. Children, adolescents, and the media in the 21st century. Adolesc Med. 2000;11:51-68” (S. Liliana Escobar-Chaves, Susan R. Torolero, Christine M. Markham, Barbara J. Low, Patricia Eitel and Patricia Thickstun, “Pediatrics,” American Academy of Pediatrics, July 14, 2005” ______________________ “STD QUICK FACTS” “One in five adults in the United States has an STD.1 It is estimated that 19 million STD infections occur annually, almost half of them among youth ages 15 to 14.2” “STDs increase the likelihood of HIV transmission two to five fold.3” “2Weinstock H, Berman S, Cates W. ‘Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among American Youth: Incidence and Prevalence Estimates, 2000.’ Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 2004;36(1):6-10.’” “3Fleming DT and Wasserheit JN. ‘From epidemiological synergy to public health policy and practice: the contribution of other sexually transmitted diseases to sexual transmission of HIV infection.’ Sex Transm Infect. 1999, Feb; 75(1):3-17.” (Kjersten Oligeny, Reginald Finger and Linda Klepacki, “STD Quick Facts,” Focus on Social Issues: 1) ______________________ “TEEN COME-ON LINES WORTHY OF REPRINT” “That column was the result of my asking teenage girls to tell me the lines that were used to try to get them into bed. I received more than 18,000 responses.”
“From Sharon, PA: What are you afraid of? Don’t be a baby. It’s part of growing up.”
“Louisville, KY: If you really loved me you would. That’s the way people express their true feelings. It’s been going on since the world began.”
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“Honolulu: It’s very painful for a guy to be in this condition and not get relief. You got me all heated up. If you’re any kind of woman, you’ll take care of me.”
“Marshalltown, IA: It will be good for your complexion. You should have seen mine before I did it. Honest, it’s better than any medicine.”
“Carbondale, IL: You’re the most exciting chick I’ve ever met in my whole life. I have never wanted anybody the way I want you.”
“Fort Lauderdale, FL: Life is so uncertain. Who knows whether you will be alive tomorrow? It would be awful if you died in an accident without experiencing the greatest thrill of all.”
“Mexico City: You’re awfully uptight. Sex is a great tension-breaker. It will make you feel relaxed.”
“Gatineau, Quebec: I want to marry you someday, and we should find out if we’re sexually compatible.”
“Rochester, NY: I’ve heard rumors you’re a lesbian. If you aren’t, prove it.”
“Nassau, the Bahamas: I promise we won’t go all the way unless you want to. I’ll stop whenever you say.”
“Harrisburg, PA: You have nothing to worry about. I’m sterile.”
“Toronto, Ontario: I know you want it as much as I do, but you’re afraid of your reputation. I swear I will never tell anybody. It will be our secret.”
“Shrewsbury, NJ: it isn’t sex that I’m after. I’m really in love with you. If you get pregnant, I’ll marry you.”
“Durham, NC: You have the body of a woman. Mother Nature meant for you to have sex. You’re ready for it.”
(“Teen come-on lines worthy of reprint,” Ann Landers, The Dallas Morning News, August 18, 1996, p2F) ______________________
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