THE IMPACT OF MEDIA ON ADOLESCENTS' SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR

The effects of media consumption on young people's attitudes and behaviour
regarding sex should be of increasing interest to policy makers and program planners.

One concern is the extent to which frequent consumption of media with high levels of sexual content and low levels of portrayal of responsible sexual conduct is a causal influence on young people's subsequent sexual behaviour, including the responsible use of protection from pregnancy and disease.

Three basic areas for concern:
(1) What sexual content do youth pay attention to, and how they interpret what
they see and hear;
(2) Effect of media content on adolescents’ sexual beliefs and behaviour; and
(3) How the mass media can be used to promote responsible sexual behavior among
youth

The effects, if any, of growing up in an environment saturated by media that focuses on sexual behavior.
Frequent consumption of media with high levels of sexual content and low levels of portrayal of responsible sexual conduct is a causal influence on young people's subsequent sexual behaviour and young people's understanding of the dynamics and risks of sexual intercourse and its consequences are improved via their use of media. The content of various forms of media affects young people's attitudes and behaviour with regard to sexual intercourse.

Young people are heavy consumers of sexually-oriented media including TV, broadcast and satellite channels, videos, movies, magazines, and, more recently, the Internet. Content analysis has also demonstrated that broadcast satellite television contains a high, growing and increasingly explicit dose of sexual messages, and that a low proportion of such messages display or model either restraint or contraceptive use.

Forms of media are changing constantly, so that media "diets" may be changing in
unknown, and as yet, uncharted ways. Developmentally, young people gain more
control over their media use as they mature. Individuals may selectively use and
change their use of media, in ways not clearly understood. Age, gender,
race/ethnicity and social class may influence what media individuals have access
to and choose to pay attention to. There are also suggestions that self-definition as a member of a particular clique or crowd may influence young people's choice of media. No one form of media use predominates in adolescence.

For the purposes of this article, "media" are taken to mean information and images
delivered via: printed matter, such as newspapers, magazines, and comic books;
radio, both music and talk; TV, broadcast, satellite and video, including music
videos; movies, tapes and compact discs and the games and information accessible
through computers on the Internet and World Wide Web. Program content and
advertising are both included. Unlimited access to the Internet and to the wide
range of services available on the World Wide Web is of growing interest. The
number of individuals who have ready access to computers is growing daily.

Mass media are to a great extent fueled by commercial enterprises which have as
their goals influencing individuals' purchasing decisions. While messages may
be targeted to one or another group of individuals, there is limited or no
control over who actually listens to or understands or acts upon the information
or images disseminated.

There is therefore a need for policy makers and programme planners to recognise the role played by the mass media in modelling the sexual orientation and behaviour of adolescents.