STUDY SAYS OVERALL SEXUAL CONTENT ON TV IS INCREASING
BEVERLY HILLS -- While new study indicates amount of sexual content on TV remains significant, number of safe-sex messages interwoven in scripted shows has risen dramatically. Findings of study conducted by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation was presented at conference at Museum of Television here.
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More than 80% of top 20 shows watched by teenagers include sexual content, as do 2/3 of all shows included in study, report said. However, among shows depicting sexual behavior there was nearly twice number of safe-sex messages, compared with 4 years ago. “From a public health perspective, it’s encouraging to see this trend toward greater attention to safer sex issues on TV,” said Vicky Rideout, Kaiser Family Foundation vp who oversaw study. “This generation is immersed in the media, so when Hollywood makes safer sex sexier -- whether it’s abstinence or protection -- that’s all to the good.”
“We in America are abdicating discussions of sex education to the media, which gives kids mixed messages,” said panelist, Prof. Jane Brown of U. of N.C. She said her research indicated there were dramatic differences in what white and African-American kids were watching: “These kids are living in very different media worlds, and boys are getting very different sexual messages than girls are.”
It’s responsibility of creative community to include messages within context of programming, said Yvette Bowser, exec. producer of UPN series Half & Half, and she has been instrumental in encouraging other producers to join in: “The African-American community has been especially hard hit when it comes to AIDS… I absolutely believe teenagers will be affected by these messages. TV is the most effective and powerful media we have… You have to accept the kind of responsibility the media has.”
However, concern was raised on how much of education burden entertainment industry bears. Paramount TV Pres. Garry Hart said it was important for producers and programmers to be responsible, but primary role of studios was to run their business profitably and produce entertainment: “The creative community is sensitive to the problem. But it reflects society, it doesn’t drive society. I think the media has a responsibility to act responsible but it’s not our job to take on the job of being educators. If our producers feel they can fit messages in, that’s good, but it can’t become the driver.”
Some networks have been more aggressive than others in trying to increase safer sex messages, said Rick Mater, senior vp-broadcast standards for WB: “We have consciously encouraged producers to put messages in our shows because we have a lot of teenage shows. If we have a sexually active character, we bring up condoms. One upside of the content revolution in TV is that it’s much easier to include safe-sex messages without having problems with advertisers.”
“Sex in the media is not the problem,” author Judith Levine said: “Adolescence has always been about sexuality. In the Middle Ages the play in the town square was about sex. Young people throughout history have always consumed the same media -- it was only in the 20th Century we had the illusion we could segregate kids from the adult world.”