As a man watcheth, so he is |
by Angelise Anderson |
Groundbreaking research suggests that pregnancy rates are much higher among teens who watch a lot of TV with sexual dialog and behavior, compared with those who have tamer viewing tastes.
No. Really? I guess it's true that as man a man thinketh, so he is. Or as he watches, so he becomes.
Though it seems apparent that the link of sex-infused TV images would be inherently tied to teen pregnancies, research is now backing up this assumption. The Associated Press reports that "the new study was the first to link viewing habits with teen pregnancy." Previously, researchers had found that watching sex on TV influences teens to have sex at an earlier age, but this new study, according to behavioral scientist Andita Chandra of Rand Corp., reports that "teens who watched the raciest shows were twice as likely to become pregnant over the next three years" as those who didn't.
The study was based on the answers of 2,003 12-to 17-year old girls and boys nationwide. Read more about it here.
This has always puzzled me. We have no advertising of cigarettes and for a long time no one on TV or in the movies smoked...because it would encourage people, especially young people, to smoke. Same thing with beer comercials and drinking alcohol. But sexual and violent situations are shown frequently and often in detail. (Yuck!) And it took someone this long to figure out that these things influence behavior. They could have saved themselves a lot of time and money by just asking pretty much any parent.
Posted by: becky | November 03, 2008 at 03:35 PM
Now, now, Educators have made it clear that these sexual messages have no impact. It is only violence which has an impact, and even pointing your finger and saying 'pow' on the playground is lethal violence not to be tolerated, nor is drawing a picture of your brother who is serving in Iraq. These are so serious that you will be expelled.
But sex on TV? Why that has no effect all.
So say our self-proclaimed betters.
Posted by: labrialumn | November 03, 2008 at 05:03 PM
Or,
As a man thinketh, so he is
with,
As he watcheth, so thinketh he not
Posted by: Steve (SBK) | November 03, 2008 at 05:17 PM
The California Teachers Association gave $1M to defeat Prop. 8 which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The plan, obviously, was and is to teach homosexuality as an acceptable "lifestyle" in California classrooms. The result will be an increasing of those behaviors as "normal" and "acceptable."
Unless Christians are willing to stand up to the constant and unending sexual barge, we will lose, in one generation, our nation to an other than Christian world view.
Posted by: Jose Vasquez | November 07, 2008 at 03:59 PM