A new study in the journal called Pediatrics is the first one to link the amount of sex being on TV to an increased amount of sex and pregnancy in teens. Maybe. Of the 700 12-to-17-year-olds who were followed for three years, those who viewed the most sexual content on TV were about twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy as those who saw the least. It also could be that those who are already interested in sex gravitate to those shows. It doesn't matter. I guess what bugs me about these types of "earth shattering" studies that the media loves to promote. Isn't it kind of intuitive that some relationship exists between what you watch and what you do? Kids watching a lot of sexual or violent material would probably be affected a little differently than Amish children playing Yahtzee. As a parent of two teens, I agree that many of the shows have content that push the envelope. Actually, I am more bothered by the previews that are just as violent and are played during the commercials of football games. I am even more bothered when some 58 year old dude is bragging about his new erection during other commercials. The bottom line is that we shouldn't let the media blow this out of proportion because who knows what lunatics may start coming out of the woodwork? Tipper, are you there?
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