What teenagers see on television affects their sexual behavior. That was the conclusion four years ago in an article in the journal Pediatrics. The study concluded that teens who watch television shows with heavy sexual content were twice as likely to engage in sexual intercourse then teens who did not. The study confirmed what most parents already know. What our children see on television affects their worldview and ultimately affects their behavior.
 
A new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, takes this correlation one step further. The researchers found that teenagers who watch lots of television featuring flirting, intense kissing and sexual scenes were about twice as likely to get pregnant as those who saw the least.
 
Again, this latest study shouldn't surprise parents. It merely confirms what most of us knew long before we had researchers who were actually able to observe it and document it. Not only have previous studies shown a link between watching television shows and sexual activity, but studies have found a link between sexually explicit music videos and an increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases.
 
Other conclusions from the study were also disturbing. For example, they found that sexual content on television has doubled in the last few years (especially during the period of their research). They recommended that parents mitigate the influence of sexual content by limiting exposure or by viewing it with children and discussing the depictions of sex.
 
These studies confirm what parents have known for decades. Watching sex on television affects subsequent sexual behavior. I'm Kerby Anderson, and that's my point of view.
 
(Note: Kerby Anderson is the Chairman of the Board of Aim For Success and host of the national radio program Point of View.)