Teenagers may easily learn information on sexual health from television shows, a new study suggests.
A recent study by non-profit research group Rand’s Television and Adolescent Sexuality found teenagers who watched a certain episode of “Friends” seemed to retain more sexual information than those who did not. In this episode, Rachel, played by Jennifer Aniston, discovers she has become pregnant by Ross (David Schwimmer) because of a faulty condom. The episode repeatedly said condoms were only 97 percent effective.
Out of the estimated 1.67 million 12-17 year olds who watched the episode, 500 were surveyed after the October 2001 airing of the episode. Of the 500 teens, many of them remembered that condoms were referenced. Those teenagers who watched the episode and then discussed it with a parent were twice as likely to remember how effective a condom was said to be, even six months later, according to the study.
“When parents and kids watch television together, a program may present an opportunity to discuss issues the children might not raise on their own,” said Rebecca Collins, lead author of the report.
According to a 1997 study, children spend more time in front of the television than anywhere else, including school. The average U.S. child watches at least four hours of TV per day. Rand’s Television and Adolescent Sexuality has been doing an ongoing study of the roles TV plays in a teenager’s sexual attitudes and behavior.
“We’ve always known that teenagers get useful information about sex from factual reporting and advice-oriented media, but now we know they can get this information from entertainment television programs as well,” Collins said.
Although teenagers may be uncomfortable with discussing the information they may learn from TV, some argue it seems to be the best way to reaffirm their knowledge.
“The good thing about these shows is that they open up the door for communication,” said Jane Crone, University of Wisconsin professor of medicine. “A parent can many times ask what their teen is thinking by asking the teen what they thought of a certain episode.”
However, with all of this education comes the exaggeration of sex on television, according to author Thomas Johnson. In his book, “Sex in America,” Johnson discusses how most Americans have had no more than three sexual partners, but on TV sex becomes a glorified act.
“TV characters seem to be friskier than their real-life counterparts,” Johnson said.
In 1996, the television industry created a rating system for their shows so parents could decide what was safe for their children to watch. There are six categories from TV-7 to TV-M, devised based on the age groups of children.
“I think the most effective way to teach adolescents about sexual health and sexual education is to provide a solid foundation of knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology and establish a line of communication that lends itself to answering even the simplest of questions,” Crone said.
