Posted on 08/17/2012 10:25:19 AM PDT by Kaslin
Culture Challenge of the Week: Movies "Selling" Sex to Children
Can you name the last five movies your teenage son or daughter has watched with friends? How strong was the sexual content in those movies?
And does it really matter?
New research suggests that it does. The study, conducted by Dr. Ross O'Hara and soon to be published in the journal Psychological Science, found that promiscuity on-screen promotes promiscuity in real life. "Adolescents who are exposed to more sexual content in movies start having sex at younger ages, have more sexual partners," and engage in riskier sexual activities says Dr. O'Hara.
While at Dartmouth University, Dr. O'Hara (now a researcher at the University of Missouri) and his team analyzed the movie-watching patterns of about 1,200 young teens, ages 12-14. Researchers next analyzed the teens' sexual behavior six years later, considering the age at which they became sexually active, their number of partners, and the riskiness of their sexual activity, including whether or not they used contraceptives.
The result: bad news. Young teens who viewed movies with sexual content were profoundly influenced by what they watched. They initiated sexual behavior earlier than their peers who viewed less sexual content, and tended to imitate the on-screen sexual behaviors they saw-which included casual sex, multiple partners, and high-risk behaviors.
It's not surprising, really. Teens crave information about sex--and too often turn to the media for information. Moreover, adolescent hormones operate in overdrive and teens are naturally more sensitive to sexual stimulation. Less likely to delay gratification, teens are more likely to be impulsive and think themselves impervious to harm. The combination, researchers say, means that "sensation seeking, or the tendency to seek more novel and intense sexual stimulation" increases in teens who "watched more movies with sexually explicit content."
So what should parents do?
How to save your Family: Select Movies with Your Children
Dr. O'Hara sums it up well, saying, "This study, and its confluence with other work, strongly suggests that parents need to restrict their children from seeing sexual content in movies at young ages."
Agreed. But unfortunately, the solution is not as simple as checking a movie's rating. In fact, G-rated movies are part of the problem. The O'Hara study also analyzed the sexual content in 700 films, all top-grossing films from 1998-2004. Defining "sexual content" as anything from heavy kissing to actual sex scenes, researchers found sexual content in more than a third of the G-rated movies, more than half of PG-rated films, and four out of every five R-rated movies.
Short of prohibiting movies all together-an unwise and unworkable solution--there are some things a parent can do. First, use websites that provide specific information about movie content, rather than a reviewer's judgment about an appropriate viewing age.
Websites like Pluggedin.com and Movieguide provide not only specifics about movie content but also analysis from a Christian perspective. (PluggedIn offers reviews of music and gaming products as well.) Two straightforward secular sources are Screenit and Kids-in-mind-both provide valuable descriptions of specific movie content, including sexuality, violence, and language. One caution-a few websites, such as CommonSense Media, offer age-ratings to help guide parents. But organizations which lean left, as CommonSense Media does, or are tied in tightly with entertainment industry folks, can't be relied on by parents who want to raise children with traditional values. The Parent's Television Council at www.ParentsTV.org is an excellent resource for information on the content of popular TV shows and offers great movie reviews.
Second, talk with your children about sex. While sex won't be a casual dinnertime conversation topic, you need to create private time with your teens to explore their feelings and questions about sex. If we're silent, our teens will learn about sex from friends and the movies-a route that's sure to normalize sexual risk-taking.
Third, stay in the loop. Talk with other parents and get to know your teen's friends. Realize that at some point your child probably will see something too sexually explicit, whether at a friend's house or on a computer. Keep the conversations going and remind your teens that Hollywood is a world without consequences.
Yes, you’re right, she did. Sadly, no one ever holds the media or H’wood (or politicians for that matter) for all of the bad *advice* they give out, or the bad role models they are.
I knew of at least 4-5 kids in HS that I can remember who would slept overnight in the Bf or Gf bed in their parents home and the parents had no problem with it. These were not ONS but long term relationships..and way way too many moms who would supply their daughters the pill.
My cousin is 20 and his girlfriend sleeps in his bed at his parents(my Aunt and Uncle) home when they come home from college to visit.
It's not Kansas out their Toto (Is that the line?)
I point out to my children that what their Dad and I tell them is wrong is also objectively stupid. Best odds to avoid a bad outcome is to do what we say. We get plenty of opportunity to point out examples, too. (Taylor Swift dating a Kennedy comes to mind, right now ... makes her a possibility in the Dead Pool for the next year.)
I'm trying very, very hard to resist the temptation!
“Feivel Goes West”? Did that have “heavy kissing” between animated rodents in it?
We were always candid with our kids, in addition to being fairly strict. Of course it was a somewhat different time. And they were boys, thank our lucky stars. They are all grown and either conservative or (oh woe is me) libertarian.
Yes, boys can’t become pregnant and probably won’t be raped ... although the latter is likely to grow more common as it becomes illegal to keep them away from homosexual predation.
I watched some of the Henry VIII and found them to be excellent. I had to drop the premium channels.
And you’re a better person for it.
I watch a couple. “Hawaii 5-0’” “ Person of Interest” and “Blue Bloods.”
I confess, I do get hooked into the Novelas on the Spanish channel.
I listern to what they listen to. It is painful at times! But there aare radio versions of everything and I paid for and download. My 12 year old is into jazz so I’m pretty lucky. She listens too blues too. That actually gets me depressed when I hear too much.
Yes, I did worry even about them. I have to say, I’m so glad I’m done raising kids. I enjoyed that part of my life, but it’s not a world I would want to be a parent in. I would definitely home school if I had kids now.
I thank God for the parents I had. It was not exactly Ozzie and Harriet but I had good parents with solid values and they loved me and my siblings enough to care what we did. You’re exactly right. At the time I wanted to do a lot of things I had no business doing. And I AM better for not being allowed to.
Yeah it’s metal, but it’s uplifting and the album it’s off of is a concept album about the creation of Earth and humanity.
If your kids have access to You Tube, whether on a hand-held tablet, smart phone or computer, then they have access to sexually-related content.
Your post #55...yes, I’m aware of that...I’m one of those Christians who lived in darkness for 34 years before trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior for deliverance from sin, death, and the devil. I’ve been a Christian for 33 years and seen how wickedness has increased, just as the Bible says it would.
By God’s grace and love and mercy, He changes the hearts of those who live in darkness and believe our values and standards are foolish, and sets them free with His Truth!
I will go a step further and say it is pretty hard to find a show that does not criticize conservatism or republicans in some manner.
There was a great show on a couple years back, "Chicago Code" I guess it was to close to truth to let it live. Was up on NetFlix a while back, don't know if it still is.
You can expect the school system to do everything they can to undermine your values. If you have kids in government schools, and you love them, then get them out of there.
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