IS A MAJOR PART OF DAILY LIFE
spend about one-third of their free time, MORE THAN THE NEXT 10 MOST POPULAR LEISURE ACTIVITIES COMBINED, watching television. The average
teenager spends more time in front of the television than any other
activity besides sleeping.
viewing increases in pre-teen years and declines after age 12. Adolescents
aged 9-14 spend over 20 percent of waking hours watching television,
compared to 9 percent on hobbies and 3.5 percent on homework.
- The average
American teen spends about 20 hours a week watching television, with
the heaviest viewers coming from low-income households.
households, in general, watch more television than other groups in the
U.S. African-Americans watch, on average, two more hours of primetime
television per week and watch close to five more hours of daytime television
- By age
18, a teenager will have seen 350,000 commercials; 100,000 may be advertisements
WHILE WE CONSUME MEDIA
- 31% of
kids (ages 8-17) eat or drink while watching in the morning
- 21% of
kids eat or drink while watching in the afternoon
- 27% of
kids eat or drink while watching in the evening
- 19% of
kids eat or drink while using in the morning
- 2% of
kids eat or drink while using in the afternoon
- 4% of
kids eat or drink while using in the evening
Children Use Media Technology" from Knowledge
CONTENT HIGH ON TELEVISION
- Two out
of every three shows on TV include sexual content, an increase from
about half of all shows during the 97/98 television season. The most
widely viewed shows-those airing in primetime on the major networks-are
even more likely to include sexual content.
intercourse is depicted or strongly implied in one of every ten shows
- Of those
instances of sexual intercourse either depicted or strongly implied,
only half occurred among couples who had an established relationship
with one another. Ten Percent involved couples who had just met.
- Only 10%
of all television programs contain sexual scenes that include any reference
to the possible risks or responsibilities associated with sex, including
pregnancy or STDs. However, shows that depict teens in sexual
situations, especially those involved in sexual intercourse, are much
more likely than other shows to include references to the possible uses
or responsibilities of sexual activity. While eight percent of
all shows contain sexual content involving teens, nearly 20 percent
make some reference to waiting to have sex, safer sex or the risks of
- 9% of
TV programs include some sexual content involving teens. While two years
ago, 3% of all characters involved in intercourse were teens, today
that figured has jumped to 9%.
to a study prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation, fifty hours of
programming selected included 156 acts of sexual intercourse and only
five references within three episodes to contraception or safer sex.
The only mention of HIV/AIDS referred to contraction through IV drug
use and not sexual activity.
AFFECTS ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
are strong theoretical reasons to believe that media may play an especially
important role in the socialization of sexual knowledge, attitudes,
and behavior. Health topics in entertainment television shows
can increase viewers' awareness of important health issues.
- In a study
of 13-and 14-year-olds, heavy exposure to sexually oriented television
increased acceptance of nonmarital sex.
- In a Kaiser
Family Foundation study, 76 percent of teens said that one reason young
people have sex is because TV shows and movies make it seem normal for
- In another
Kaiser Family Foundation study, most children aged 11 to 13 and some
children aged 8 to 10 understood the sexual content, even the jokes
and innuendoes about sex.
of daytime serials and MTV is a predictor of sexually permissive attitudes
and behavior among college students. Older adolescents in one
study tended to mimic the sexual themes from the shows they watched.
students exposed to large amounts of sexual behaviors on television
were more likely to believe that their peers engaged in those same activities.
AS A TOOL TO EDUCATE AND INFORM
to a recent survey of regular viewers of the TV program, ER, 53 percent
said that they learn about important healthcare issues from the show;
32 percent said that they get information that helps them make choices
about their own or their family's healthcare.
- The same
study looked at knowledge of emergency contraception after a brief mention
of this pregnancy prevention option in one episode. Of those who
were aware that there is something a woman can do to prevent pregnancy,
even after unprotected sex, 20 percent volunteered that they had learned
about the issue from ER.
- Even before
this episode aired, those who knew about emergency contraception were
far more likely to say they had learned about this issue from the media
than from doctors or clinics.
APPROVES OF CONTRACEPTIVE AND HIV PREVENTION ADS
percent of those polled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
stated that HIV/AIDS prevention information should be aired on television.
percent agreed that information on condom use should also be aired.
18-25 year-olds, ninety-two percent agreed that condom information should
be aired on TV.
[Back to Top]