Our Response
So how do we respond to this kind of media saturation?
As parents, we should take the advice from the experts. The American Academy of Pediatrics released a report in August of 2010 titled, Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media. The doctors in this report shared some pretty shocking facts about the effects of media on young people. Here’s just a glimpse:
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- More than 75% of prime-time programs contain sexual content.
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- Only 14% of these incidents mention any risks or responsibilities of sexual activity.
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- Talk about sex on TV can occur as often as 8 to 10 times per hour.
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- Between 1997 and 2001 alone, the amount of sexual content on TV nearly doubled.
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- Listening to sexually degrading lyrics is associated with earlier sexual intercourse.
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- Out of nine longitudinal studies seeking to answer whether sexy media contributes to early sexual activity, seven of these studies have shown that exposure to sexual content in TV and other media in early adolescence can as much as double the risk of early sexual intercourse.
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- Early exposure to sexual content doubled the risk of teen pregnancy.
- Bedroom TVs are associated with greater substance use and sexual activity by teenagers.
Research is clear that parents need to take an active role in talking with their kids about media guidelines, and setting up realistic media guidelines. This report actually offers some great advice to parents, including limiting screen time, prohibiting media in bedrooms, and “co-viewing” media with kids. (Jonathan discusses these guidelines and what they might look like in his book, Candid Confessions of an Imperfect Parent.)
Where do you draw the line?
Do your kids have a TV in their bedrooms? Do you know what’s on their iPods? Like I said earlier this week in my blog about the connection between listening to pop music and depression, “The iPod is the window to the heart.”
On the proactive side: Have you made an effort to “co-view” programming with your kids? Have you tried using media as conversation jump-starters? Check out some of the resources we provide on our webpage to help you dialogue with young people about media. Parents, you can use our MOVIE REVIEWS & QUICK Q’s page to co-view films with your teenagers and then ask them questions at the end of the film. We provide you with our two cents about the film and some discussion questions to provoke conversation. Also consider using our MUSIC DISCUSSIONS page, using current songs to talk with your teenagers about important issues.
Youth workers, we provide the same resources, customized for a youth ministry setting on our youth ministry page www.TheSource4YM.com. Just use the FREE RESOURCES & IDEAS dropdown menu on the top left hand side of the page.
However you choose to do it, become familiar with the media your kids are immersed in daily. Talk with them about the content they are absorbing, and don’t be afraid to set media guidelines. Saying no–while not always popular–is usually pretty healthy. Too often, the parents at our parenting seminars are on the brink of throwing in the towel. Don’t do that; there are lots of tools at your disposal to help you help your teens make wholesome media choices.
We can’t give up because the only thing beyond “media saturation” is “media drowning.”
