Youngsters who watched more movies with sexual content are more likely to have more partners, earlier sexual debut, and riskier sex than kids who watched fewer risqué films, a University of Missouri study found. Researchers do not know whether the content influences behavior, only that there’s a correlation.
“Sensation seeking, or the tendency to seek more novel and intense sexual stimulation, does seem to increase in young people who watched more movies with sexually explicit content,” researcher Ross O’Hara said.
The study surveyed 1,228 participants ages 12 to 14 and asked which movies out of 50 top-grossing films of 1998 to 2004 (rated by the study authors for sexual content) they had seen. Researcher went back to the participants six years later and asked about their sexual behavior.
“The results of the study found that adolescents who are exposed to more sexual content in movies start having sex at younger ages, have more sexual partners, and are less likely to use condoms with casual sexual partners,” the university reported.
Researchers have a theory about the safe sex part of their findings, though: “One important observation from our evaluation of the films was that few showed contraceptive use or safe sexual practices,” O’Hara said. “When safe sex is portrayed in films, it is often in comedies and is presented as an inconvenience or embarrassment. The motion picture industry could make an effort to show healthier, safer behaviors, just as they have reduced the amount of smoking shown in films.”
Parental monitoring is also key. Statistics 101 teaches us that correlation does not imply causation. For example, young people who watched more of the movies might have less parental supervision in general, which could explain some of the findings.
Either way, as we’ve said before, communicating the importance of safe sex to children and teens is crucial.
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