Will sexy TV lead to teen pregnancy?
Categories: Teens & tweens, Love & Sex, Pregnancy & Birth, Safety, In The News, Weird But True, Media, Education, That's Entertainment
Will watching television get you pregnant? According to an article from the Daily News, it may be the case. What sounds as implausible as the rumor that circulated when I was a kid that you could get pregnant from a toilet seat (remember THAT one?) has a little oomph behind it thanks to a recent study, which found that girls who watch racy television programs are more likely to get pregnant.
The reason for this? They're more likely to engage in the same risky behavior they see on television, namely having unprotected sex. Anita Chandra's research lead to the conclusion that teen girls who watched the sexiest shows on television, a la Gossip girl, were twice as likely to become pregnant over a three year span of time as those who didn't watch such programs.
The study was comprised of interviews of over 2000 boys and girls between the ages of twelve and seventeen who were quizzed about their television viewing. Family set up, parental education level and grades were factored out of the equation, which still lead to evidence that teens watching the sexiest shows were twice as likely to get pregnant. Critics of the study counter that the study didn't take in account factors such as self esteem, values instilled by the family and, of course, money.
Thoughts? Does watching television get you pregnant? It sounds right up there with the notion that listening to heavy metal will make you suicidal, but who knows--perhaps there is some compelling link?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ame s 11-03-2008 @ 6:33PM
Listeningto Heavy Metal never made me feel suicidal, and listening to Hard Rock backwards didn't give me the urge to worship Satan or slit the throats of goats as a sacrifice. Having sex for a year (for a month with my second daugther) without birth control did result in pregnancy.
My older daughter will turn 11 soon, has been having her period for 8 months, is almost 5'3", and wears a 34C bra. I would be a fool if I were not already talking to her about sex. I well remember how it was to deal with teen-aged boys and my husband remembers well how it felt to be one.
As parents, it is our job to monitor what our children watch on television. As a mother, it is my job to tell my daughters just how full of crap some teen boys and many adult men are, and how they will say anything and treat a girl or woman like a queen to get them to have sex.
I met my late husband (my daughters' father) when I was 14 and he was 17. We were both virgins, but of course he was just itchin' to have sex. I told him to either make due with the hand he used before he had any idea of the true joys of women, or go have sex with all the other girls/women who were lined up outside his door. That worked.
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Laura 11-04-2008 @ 7:38AM
Sure. And watching 'House' turns you bisexual.
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c_rousseau05 11-03-2008 @ 6:39PM
Yeah, that sounds pretty silly to me. Bad parenting and teens that make stupid choices (usually based on self image issues or emotional neediness) makes teens get pregnant, not tv......however, in a day and age where tv is let to raise the kids, who knows, maybe it does have some part in it. Even so, bottom line is bad parenting (ie. not meeting the needs of your child from early on, setting a bad example in your personal life for your child, avoiding tough issues with your kid, being a friend rather than a parent, having electronic babysitters...etc etc etc. All bad parenting and all stepping stones to kids getting into trouble.).
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yvonne 11-04-2008 @ 12:06PM
um, even though the media does express these behaviors in a promiscuous every-day thing way, its totally up to the girls to make this choice. if they arent strong enough to make their own choices then the media shouldnt be to blame. america's just looking for an excuse to pile the dirt on something and coverup the fact we have free will and unless rape occurs, we are allowed to use that free will and if they decide on getting themselves screwed and pregnant, than they gave their consent to it and no one on tv MADE them. so, stop blaming the media on all these crisises and keep in mind that these people chose to do whatever they did, not only about having sex, but using drugs/alchohol, etc...
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joy woodworth 11-03-2008 @ 10:23PM
I have to say thank GOD for Planned Parenthood! I was educated by this organization about birth control, menstruation, breast exams, std's and how NOT to get them, had yearly pap smears and why we need them, and that I can say NO to a guy and it was fine to do so. My mother never gave me education about my body, etc except when she rifled through my purse and found my birth control and called me a whore.
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SKL 11-03-2008 @ 10:51PM
I do believe it is a factor. Telling young people that basically everyone does it and doesn't even think anything of it, that people who do it are mature and those who don't are twisted, is certainly not a neutral influence. However, parents who would let their kids watch that trash likely have other things in common. Like giving their kids more freedom than is age-appropriate, modeling unhealthy / immoral behaviors, or being in denial that their kid is subject to the same hormonal urges as everyone else. Or just not really caring enough to make their daughters feel like they're worth the wait.
Personally I don't think I was old enough to watch SATC until I was in my 30s, but maybe that's just me.
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Holly 11-04-2008 @ 12:10AM
I agree - it IS a factor. Easy sex is splashed all over TV, movies and magazines, and whether or not teens admit it, they simply aren't mature enough to think things through. Yes, parents should keep an eye on what their kids are doing, but they can't always. Kids can be sneaky! The big problem nowadays is that "everyone does it," so for a lot of kids sex isn't special. Plus, Hollywood glorifies unwed moms, focusing on "baby joy" and ignoring the less-attractive side of parenting. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule, but I don't think sex belongs on every TV program, in every movie, in every magazine. The consequences are rarely spelled out in cold hard facts.
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