How much romantic affection or sexual content do your children see in the movies? The answer could predict how soon they will be having sex.
A recent study measured the minutes the top-grossing movies showed "sexual content." This was defined as passionate kissing through sexual intercourse.
The study then interviewed 1228 young teens (age 12-14) about the movies they had seen. Six years later the same teens were surveyed regarding their sexual behavior.
Those who saw the most sexual content at a young age were the most likely
- to start having sex at an early age
- to engage in risky sexual behavior
- to have an unplanned pregnancy
- to have sexually transmitted infections
Before you believe your teens are safe because you only allow G or PG movies, remember the study measured those movies as well. As little as passionate kissing merited "sexual content" in the study.
The author of the study advised parents to
- limit their children's exposure to "sexual content"
- discuss whether "sexual content" was realistic
- discuss the possible consequences of that sexual behavior.
(O'Hara, R.E., Gibbons, F.X., Gerrard, M., Li, Z., & Sargent, J.D. (2012). Greater Exposure to Sexual Content in Popular Movies Predicts Earlier Sexual Debut and Increased Sexual Risk Taking.
Psychological Science, Published online before print July 18, 2012, doi: 10.1177/0956797611435529. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22810165) (Riggio, R.E. (August 8, 2012). Why You Should Monitor Your Child's Exposure to Movie Sex.
Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201208/why-you-should-monitor-your-child-s-exposure-movie-sex) (McKay, H. (August 7, 2012). Study: Sexual content in movies encourages earlier sex, more casual partners.
Fox News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/08/07/study-sexual-content-in-movies-encourages-earlier-sex-more-casual-partners/#ixzz23YzSV2p9)
