TEENAGERS WHO watch a lot of television featuring flirting, necking, discussion of sex and sex scenes are much more likely than their peers to get pregnant or get a partner pregnant, according to the first US study to directly link such programming to teen pregnancy.
The study, which tracked more than 700 12-17 year olds for three years, found that those who viewed the most sexual content on TV were about twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy as those who saw the least.
"Watching this kind of sexual content on television is a powerful factor in increasing the likelihood of a teen pregnancy," said lead researcher Anita Chandra. "We found a strong association." The study was published yesterday in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
There is rising concern about teen pregnancy rates which, after decades of decline, may have started inching up again, fuelling an intense debate about what factors are to blame. Although TV viewing is unlikely to entirely explain the possible uptick in teen pregnancies, Ms Chandra and others said the study provided the first direct evidence that it could be playing a significant role.
"Sexual content on television has doubled in the last few years, especially during the period of our research," said Ms Chandra, a researcher at the Rand Corporation.
Studies have found a link between watching television shows with sexual content and becoming sexually active earlier, and between sexually explicit music videos and an increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases.
Many studies have shown that TV violence seems to make children more aggressive but this research is the first to show an association between TV watching and teen pregnancy.
The study did not examine how different approaches to sex education factor into the effects of TV viewing on sexual behaviour and pregnancy rates. Proponents of comprehensive sex education as well as programmes that focus on abstinence said the findings illustrated the need to educate children better about the risks of sex and about how to protect themselves, although they disagreed about which approach works best.
Ms Chandra and her colleagues surveyed more than 2,000 adolescents aged 12-17 three times by telephone from 2001 to 2004 to gather information about a variety of behavioural and demographic factors, including television viewing habits. Based on a detailed analysis of the sexual content of 23 shows in the 2000-2001 TV season, the researchers calculated how often the teens saw characters kissing, touching, having sex, and discussing past or future sexual activity.
Among the shows the teens watched were Sex and the City, Friends and That '70s Show. Ms Chandra would not identify the others but said they included dramas, comedies, reality shows and animated programmes on broadcast and cable networks.
The researchers recommended that parents spend more time monitoring what their children watch and discussing what they see, including pointing out the possible negative consequences of early sexual activity.
Programmers should also include more-realistic portrayals of the risks of sex, such as sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy, the researchers said.
Ms Chandra acknowledged that other factors might play a role but said the findings were compelling because the researchers were able to track the teens over time and found such a striking relationship. - ( Los Angeles Times/Washington Post)