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Teen Sex Linked to Children's TV Viewing, Study Says

Written by John Evans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Parents may now have a more urgent reason to monitor what their children watch on television, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston found that early teen sex may be linked to viewing adult content on television as children. The study tracked children from ages 6 to 18 and found that the sooner children began to view adult content on television programs and movies, the earlier they became sexually active during adolescence.

"Television and movies are among the leading sources of information about sex and relationships for adolescents," said Hernan Delgado, a specialist in adolescent and young adult medicine at Children's Hospital Boston and the study's lead author, in a news release on the study. "Our research shows that their sexual attitudes and expectations are influenced much earlier in life."

Dwayne Hastings, vice president of communications at the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, agrees.

"It is a proven fact that the unchecked, prurient content on television and in movie theaters is a primary factor in the coarsening of the culture," Hastings said. "Advertisers are willing to shell out millions of dollars for television commercials because they are confident they can sway our behavior. We should not be surprised then to discover that what we watch on television shapes attitudes toward sexuality while perverting God's design."

Parents, not television actors and actresses, should be introducing -- in age appropriate steps -- an understanding of human sexuality as God intended, Hastings added.

The study's 754 participants -- 365 males and 389 females -- were tracked during two stages, first in childhood and again from ages 12 to 18. During both stages, researchers recorded television programs and movies watched, along with the time spent watching them, over two sample days. The program and movie titles determined what was considered adult content. In the second stage, researchers tracked the onset of sexual activity.

Some of the findings may shock parents. For example, the study found that over the two sample days, for every hour the youngest group of children -- ages 6 to 8 -- watched adult content on television, their chances of having sex during early adolescence rose 33 percent.

The reverse was not found to be true (i.e. becoming sexually active during adolescence did not increase youth's viewing of adult-targeted television and movies).

"Children have neither the life experience nor the brain development to fully differentiate between a reality they are moving toward and a fiction meant solely to entertain," warned David Bickham, staff scientist in the Center on Media and Child Health and co-author of the study, in the hospital's news release. "Children learn from media, and when they watch media with sexual references and innuendos, our research suggests they are more likely to engage in sexual activity earlier in life."

This study is not the only one to link media with teen sexual activity. A 2006 study by the University of North Carolina found that teens exposed to media with high sexual content were more likely to have sex by age 16 than their less exposed counterparts.

For parents who wish to shield their children from the dangers of adult television content, there is no single foolproof solution.

The researchers involved in the Children's Hospital Boston study recommend parents follow current viewing guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics. These include no television in the bedroom, only one or two hours of TV a day, watching programs with your children and having open discussions about the content.

While television ratings can be a helpful tool, parents currently relying on them exclusively to keep their children safe from sexual content may want to think twice. A 2007 study by the Parents Television Council revealed that 67 percent of the time programs included sexual content even though they did not have the "S" label to warn viewers.

Hastings believes Christian parents must be vigilant and active in monitoring what the little eyes in their families see.

"Scripture is clear that God entrusts a child's parents with the duty to protect their mind and their body," he said. "When we hand our children over to those who are not concerned about their well-being, we fail our children and we put future generations at risk."

John Evans is an intern with the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Moving Forward After Divorce

Written by David and Lisa Frisbie

This article is courtesy of ParentLife.

“I knew Grant was working a lot of overtime,” Karen recalls. “But if there were signals that he was having an affair, I missed them. Both of us were involved in church. Both of us grew up in Christian homes. It never occurred to me that Grant would have an affair with someone or that he would choose to end our marriage!”

Karen’s initial shock and disbelief gave way to anger, resentment, and confusion. It was as if her entire life had ended. What would replace it?

Who Is Affected
We wish we could report that Karen’s experience is unique or rare. Instead, the divorce rate among Christians seems to parallel the divorce rate in the general population. Divorce happens to Christians who are active in their churches and involved in roles of ministry, service, and caring. This year in the United States, more than two million adults will experience a divorce, some of them for a second time. 

Helping Your Child
As recently as the 1980s, social scientists insisted that children might suffer no long-term effects from divorce, particularly if their parents took the time to part amicably and remain in contact as friends. This so-called “good divorce” theory now has been tested by extensive studies which conclude the opposite: Divorce is something that affects a child for life, in diverse and lasting ways.

However, you can choose to help your child cope with the trauma and changes that follow the breakup of a home and family. In age-appropriate ways, you can explain to your child about the divorce – and as she grows older, you can add layers of depth and understanding to these explanations.

Your Child’s Response
Children’s responses to divorce typically cluster around three primary emotions: fear, guilt, and anger. Help your child process these feelings and move forward in positive directions.

• Fear. The end of a marriage shatters a child’s sense of security and well-being. Something that the child had counted on keeping forever has been lost. A child who is otherwise well-adjusted and secure can become fearful and withdrawn in the aftermath of her parents’ divorce.

Allow your child the chance to voice and admit her fears. Instead of correcting or reprimanding these feelings, ask questions that help your child reflect on her fears. Invariably, her fears will involve “losing” something that deeply matters to her – especially losing the love or presence of a parent.

Gradually and consistently, counteract your child’s fears with strong doses of affirmation, such as “I love you and I will always love you.” Another good message is “I will never, ever leave you: I am your mother forever!” Over time these messages will be accepted and believed. As important as these messages are, it is equally important to listen to your child’s expressions of emotion, validating her fears as normal and natural.

• Guilt. Among adult children of divorce, one of the most common recurring emotions is the feeling that they in some way caused their parents to drift apart and break up. Although it may seem irrational, children inherently believe that if only they had been more compliant, more obedient, or more attentive, their parents would still be together today.

Consistently explain that the divorce happened because of problems between the two adults and not because of anything your child said or did or failed to say or do. Your statement should include age-appropriate explanations of the true cause of the divorce, without adding undue criticisms of your ex-spouse.

• Anger. It is normal and natural for a child to be angry when her family breaks apart, especially if this breakup comes as a surprise. Children prefer to remain in two-parent homes, even if the parents are angry and seemingly incompatible with each other. A child adjusts to hearing her parents argue; at least both parents are still under the same roof, still available to be Mom or Dad.

Listen to your child’s anger without attempting to defend yourself or your ex-spouse. Instead of jumping in to explain everything, listen carefully to what your child is saying and how your child is feeling.

Time and Space
Children’s reactions to divorce can vary over time. One child appears largely untroubled by the divorce when it happens, yet expresses symptoms of depression or anger later. Another child seems angry and frustrated at the time of the divorce but may be reasonably well-adjusted a few years later. Allow your child the time and space she needs to process her own feelings and to redefine her own identity.