Sexual messages on television: Comparing findings from three studies

Television portrayals may contribute to the sexual socialization of childre n and adolescents, and therefore it is important to examine the patterns of sexual content presented on television. This report presents a summary vie w across three related studies of sexual messages on television. The conten t examined ranges from programs most popular with adolescents to a comprehe nsive, composite week sample of shows aired across the full range of broadc ast and cable channels. The results across the three studies identify a num ber of consistent patterns in television's treatment of several content. Ta lk about sex and sexual behaviors are both found frequently across the tele vision landscape, although talk about sex is more common. Most sexual behav iors tend to be precursory in nature (such as physical flirting and kissing ), although intercourse is depicted or strongly implied in roughly one of e very eight shows on television. Perhaps most importantly the studies find t hat TV rarely presents messages about the risks or responsibilities associa ted with sexual behavior.