Sex Education Messages In The Media Essay

, Research Paper

Sex Education Messages In The Media

The media should not be blamed for the sexuality of american

youth.

First concern in sexual activity is too much media. Television is

something that kids watch all the time. Television shows that show sexual

activity and children pick up on those events quickly. Teenagers dream about

marrying someone who is good looking and has money and then starting a

family with them. A lot of teens watch soap operas and romantic shows.

Teens see kids, their age, having sex and getting pregnant and they think they

can do it, too. Parents should watch what types of TV shows and movies that

their children are watching. TV commercials are explicit when it comes to

showing sex. Teens can pick up ideas about sex from commercials. Such as,

the Trojan Man and the Durex commercials shown frequently on MTV and

other stations. The media could be more discrete about that sort of material

on the airwaves. In light of these statistics, it would appear that the

nonjudgemental/safe-sex approach can add up to a dangerous combination.

Dr. Theresa Crenshaw, a past president of the American Association of Sex

Educators, Counselors and Therapists, in testimony before a House

subcommittee in February 1987, said, ?To say that the use of condoms is

?safe sex? is in fact playing Russian roulette. A lot of people will die in this

dangerous game.? Yet despite warnings like this, schoolteachers routinely

present homosexuality to their students as just another option about which

they must decide for themselves (Kilpatrick 598). On the other hand, with

the popular television show, Ellen, the main character and the actress who

played her, Ellen Degenerous, was an open lesbian. This views homosexuals

as nice, fun loving people and not the hated figures that some community

activists portray them as. In turn, the media can be a blessing to the gay

community because they show the lighter side of their sexual preference.

Then again, some parents view this as a wrong statement and refuse to let

their children watch this display. Another show is Will and Grace, Will is a

gay man living with his friend Grace. This show was aired after the Ellen

show was cancelled because of it?s bad ratings after she came out into the

limelight with her ?secret?.

Second concern in the media. All sorts of teen?s and women?s

magazines that are in stores today are filled with sex and what types of

protection to use. Parents should watch what their kids are reading. In

magazines there are a lot of pictures that children and teenagers don?t need to

see.

Next concern in the media. On the radio they talk about sex and many

different ways to have sex. Teens and children listen to the radio and they

shouldn?t be listening to some of the topics discussed on those radio shows.

Children pick up on things quickly and are easily influenced by things going

on around them. Planned Parenthood?s Alan Guttnacher Institute, published

the results of two large studies, both of which failed to show any reduction in

sexual activity for teenagers who had taken sex education courses (Kilpatrick

591).