Jessica Orlando April 23, 2012 27.

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Sex in the Media -- its effects on teenagers

Todays

edia exposes teens to exploitati!e sex" The exploitation of sex has edia, often lin%ing sex#al &eha!ior a ong teens to the

fo#nd its $ay into !ario#s expos#re of sex#al

edia content" St#dies ha!e sho$n that adolescent sex#al acti!ity

ay pro pt pro isc#o#s &eha!ior a ong teenagers of all different ethnicities" 'rotic aterial depicting sex in tele!ision, ha!e altered the #sic, o!ies, aga(ines, and especially the internet

indsets of teens, leading to s#ggesti!e &eha!ior and #nclear perceptions

of $hat is socially accepta&le" Sex definitely plays a a)or role in conte porary life" According to the

Annen&erg Sex and Media St#dy *ASAMS+, a fi!e-year in!estigation cond#cted &y st#dents of the Annen&erg School for ,o #nication at the -ni!ersity of .ennsyl!ania, edia and self-reported sex#al &eha!ior

there is a strong relationship &et$een sex in the

in adolescents */ennessy et al" 012+" '!idently, $hat children and adolescents are exposed to in the that the edia infl#ences their social gro$th and &eha!ior" St#dies ha!e sho$n

edia attracts teens &eca#se they are extre ely !#lnera&le and eager to satisfy edia content,

their c#riosity a&o#t sex" 3or &oth sex#al &eha!ior and expos#re to sex#al

there are pre-existing ethnic and gender differences &et$een respondents e!en at the

earliest ages in!estigated *045+" 6hether society chooses to accept it or not, sex is e!ery$here and the negati!e $ay it affects todays yo#th is ine!ita&le" According to the ASAMS, the assertion of possi&le negati!e edia effect on

children and yo#th tends to &e s#pported &y research st#dies loo%ing at the association &et$een partic#lar le!els or types of edia expos#re and o#tco es s#ch as nor ati!e

&eliefs a&o#t sex#al acti!ity, the extent and ti ing a&o#t sex#al interco#rse, and a range of other sex#al &eha!iors */ennessy et al" 017+" -sing data collected &y follo$ing 15- to 17-year-old teenagers o!er a three year span, the ASAMS $as a&le to in!estigate $hether or not sex#al edia content affects teen sex#al de!elop ent" According to another st#dy edia

done &y -SA Today, it is said that 438 of st#dies fo#nd that children $ith greater

expos#re ha!e sex earlier *9i( S" 1+" ,ollection of data too% place #sing a 6e&-&ased s#r!ey cond#cted d#ring the spring and s# er of 2000, 2007, and 2002" Adolescent ail, and $ord-

respondents $ere recr#ited thro#gh print and radio ad!ertise ents, direct

of- o#th to co plete the s#r!ey *011+" Thro#gh this $e&site the 052 adolescent participants $ere paid :20 #pon co pletion of each s#r!ey that $as cond#cted" The s#r!ey incl#ded ;#estions fro each exa ple of sex#al &eha!ior, s#ch as, </a!e yo#

e!er participated in deep %issing= </as a partner e!er to#ched yo#r pri!ate parts=> </a!e yo# e!er participated in oral, anal, or !aginal interco#rse=> *011+" The ASAMS st#dy s#r!eyed teens aged 15, 10, and 17 of $hite, African A erican, or /ispanic ethnicities to deter ine $hether the relationship &et$een sex#al &eha!ior and expos#re to sex#al content across se!eral types of edia see conditional

on the race of the respondent *012+" Their analysis $as consistent $ith their findings in that the correlation &et$een changes in expos#re and changes in sex#al &eha!ior $as

#ch higher for $hite respondents than for &lac% respondents" According to a ,?S @e$s report, researchers fo#nd that $hite teens $ith the highest le!el of sex#al content expos#re $ere 120 percent or 2"2 ti es ore li%ely to ha!e initiated sex#al interco#rse edia" A ong

than those $ith the lo$est le!els of expos#re to sex#al content in the &lac%, the relationship &et$een sex#al

edia diet and teen sex $as not as clear after ore

ad)#sting for other ris% factors" The sex#al acti!ity of &lac% teenagers $as

significantly infl#enced &y their parents attit#des a&o#t sex and their friends sex#al &eha!ior than $hat they sa$ or heard in the edia"

Most of the research and ;#estions cond#cted in the ASAMS s#r!eys incl#ded < edia effects> in!estigating sex#al content in the edia and sex#al &eha!ior foc#sed on

tele!ision" According to Ao&ert, 3oehr, and Aideo#t, not only did the s#r!eyors spend an a!erage of 7 B ho#rs per day $atching tele!ision, data s#ggests that the a o#nt of sex on tele!ision affects teenagers perceptions of peer sex#al &eha!ior, sex#ally per issi!e attit#des, and sex#al initiation *;td" Cn /ennessy et al" 017+" Statistics sho$ that the greater the proportion of tele!ision !ie$ing ti e that contained sex#al content, the ore

li%ely it $as that an adolescent had engaged in sex#al interco#rse *017+" Die$ing sex on tele!ision pro!es to hasten sex#al initiation a ong teens and pop#lar c#lt#re portraying pro isc#o#s acti!ity leads teens to &elie!e that &eha!ing sex#ally is accepta&le in todays society" One exa ple of pro isc#o#s &eha!ior sho$n on national tele!ision $as Jan#ary 31, 2005, $here o!er ninety-nine illion tele!ision !ie$ers in the -nited States and atch-#p

a&road t#ned in to ,?S to $atch li!e co!erage of S#per ?o$l EEEEDCCC, a

&et$een the ,arolina .anthers and the @e$ 'ngland .atriots" F#ring the half-ti e finale, the Janet Jac%son and for er @SG@, star, J#stin Ti &erla%es ro#tine inspired

considera&le p#&lic shoc% d#e to its sex#ally explicit nat#re and its exhi&ition of p#&lic n#dity" As the d#o danced erotically to Ti &erla%es hit song <Aoc% Go#r ?ody,> Ti &erla%e s#ng the lyrics, <Cll ha!e yo# na%ed &y the end of this song> and si #ltaneo#sly ripped the right &reast c#p of Jac%sons leather &odice, re!ealing her nipple, $hich $as partially co!ered &y a sil!er nipple ring */olland, 124+" According to a ,?S @e$s report, teens $ho see and hear a lot a&o#t sex in the edia ay &e ore than t$ice as li%ely to ha!e early sex#al interco#rse as those $ho are

rarely exposed to sex#al content" Other than tele!ision, the strongest associations &et$een expos#re to sex#al content and intentions to ha!e sex $ere fo#nd $ith expos#re to sex#al content in o!ies and #sic" The .ard#n et al" *2000+ st#dy $as one of the edia other

first to exa ine the cross-sectional association &et$een sex#al content in

than tele!ision */ennessy et al" 012+" The s#r!ey $as &ased on t$o types of !aria&lesH the respondents self-reported expos#re to selected #sic, of the edia titles in fo#r edia *tele!ision,

aga(ines, and !ideo ga es+ and the respondents rating of sex#al content in each edia titles" The lists $ere constr#cted to reflect pop#lar titles for teenagers or the

general p#&lic at the ti e of the &aseline s#r!ey */ennessy et al" 014+" The s#r!eyors $ere gi!en a list of tele!ision progra s, #sic artists, aga(ine titles, !ideo ga es, and edia and stat#s of their o$n

o!ies to find any correlations &et$een expos#re to this sex#al &eha!ior" The

edia presents ne$ ideas and trends for teens along $ith i ages of

cele&rities $hich can often alter a teens principles" Cn a J#ne 2001 iss#e of Vanity Fair, a racy photo shoot $hich clai s to pro ote sex a ong teenagers $as e!ident $hen photographer, Annie 9ei&o!it(, photographed a hea!ily ade-#p Miley ,yr#s, the star of

Fisney ,hannels top sho$, Hannah Montana. The photo in ;#estion sho$s ,yr#s, then

fifteen, hair

essy, eyes droopy, cl#tching a sheet to her chest as she faces #s fro

the

side, flashing &are sho#lders and a f#ll &ac%" *Iincaid, 0+ So e &elie!e the racy photo see s as if ,yr#s had )#st had sex, $hich led to contro!ersy for any Hannah Montana

fans" This ra#nchy photograph of ,yr#s pro otes sex#al pro isc#ity a ong teens in conte porary life" Adolescents idoli(e cele&rities $hose infl#ences often distort their sense of reality of $hat is socially accepta&le" @e!er &efore has a society &een exposed to so #ch graphic aterial and sex#al

interaction, all a fe$ clic%s a$ay, 25 ho#rs a day, a!aila&le to ad#lts and %ids ali%e" A special report, Sex and the Cnternet, &y Jary 6e&& s#ggests that at no ti e in A erican history has pornography &een so $idely a!aila&le and so easily accessi&le to the general p#&lic" ,y&ersex has &eco e a sex#al re!ol#tion exposing people of all ages to the intricacies of sex#al acti!ity" Cnternet sex is a reflection of todays h# anity and fastpace social lifestyle" 3ro its early days of $ide access, concern $ith the dangers posed edia and oral entreprene#rs" *.otter,

to children and teens has &een a staple of ne$s 31+ An exa ple fro explains to her

6e&&s report incl#des a story a&o#t a se!enth grade girl $ho

other ho$ to find <dirty pict#res> on the internet" She types into the and #p flashes a screen filled $ith pict#res of $o en perfor ing

%ey&oard, porn"co oral sex on

en, $o en lic%ing each others &reasts, a flashing red sign that reads

?OO?S and !ario#s little pop #p &oxes sho$ing tiny ani ated pict#res of fellatio" The Cnternet has &eco e an easy access for teens to f#lfill their c#riosity a&o#t sex" .ornography is extensi!e thro#gho#t the $e& appearing as e- ails or e!en pop-#ps on $e&sites designed to attract teenagers" The o!er#se and exploitation of sex thro#gho#t the internet infl#ences lasci!io#s &eha!ior a ong teens that are !#lnera&le, and

#nde!eloped for sex" Sex in the edia has tre endo#sly infl#enced sex#al acti!ity a ong adolescents"

The pro otion of sex has &eco e extre ely s#&)ecti!e associating sex#al &eha!ior a ong adolescents to the expos#re of sex#al the sel!es to a The yriad of edia content" Teens ha!e exposed

edia reso#rces to help satisfy their in;#isiti!eness a&o#t sex"

edia re!eals that sex is e!ery$here" Ct infl#ences pro isc#o#s &eha!ior a ong to &elie!e ha!ing sex at any age is socially accepta&le in

teenagers and leads the conte porary life"

Works Cited

?lea%ley, A", /ennessy, M", 3ish&ein, M", K Jordan, A" *2004). Estimating the longitudinal association between adolescent sexual behavior and exposure to sexual media content " Aetrie!ed fro httpHLLsoc2011p "$ee&ly"co L#ploadsL2L2L5L2L2252072Lsex#alM ediaMcontent"pdf /olland, S" 9" *2004, Spring+" The "o ending" breast o !anet !ac"son# $ublicdiscourse surrounding the !ac"son%timberla"eper ormance at super bowl &viii " Aetrie!ed fro httpHLLcle son"acade ia"ed#LShannon/ollandL.apersL511203LTheMOffendingM?reastMofMJanetMJ ac%sonM.#&licMFisco#rseMS#rro#ndingMtheMJac%sonMTi &erla%eM.erfor anceMatMS#perM?o$lM EEEDCCC Iincaid, J" *2010, Spring+" Hannah montana's bare( unprotected bac"# miley cyrus's )vanity air outing.*. Aetrie!ed fro httpHLL #se")h#"ed#L)o#rnalsL!ltLs# aryL!070L70"%incaid"ht l 9agorio, ," *2007, April 3+" Media may prompt teen sex. Aetrie!ed fro httpHLL$$$"c&sne$s"co LstoriesL2007L05L03LhealthL$e& dL ain1575272"sht l .otter, A"/", K .otter, 9"A" *2000+" The +nternet( cyberporn( and sexual expolitation o children# media moral panics and urban myths or middle,class parents-. Aetrie!ed fro httpHLL$e&"e&scohost"co LehostLdetail=!idN3KhidN2KsidNa21aec0c-&17&-5121-&20f21a&c7122f3&850session gr13K&dataNJn@pdJ-4O6h!c3Pt&Jl2OP83d 83dQd&Na4hKA@N0520511 S(a&o, 9" *2001+" .eport# "ids' health is in danger rom heavy media exposure. Aetrie!ed fro httpHLL$$$"#satoday"co Lne$sLhealthL2001-12-01- ediaM@"ht 6e&&, J" *2001+" /ex and the internet. Aetrie!ed fro www.scribd.com%doc%01234525