|
|
TEEN SEXUALITY Opening: Discovering and forming one's sexual identity is a focal point of adolescence. A Teenagers decision about sexuality are influenced by all factors such as love, substance abuse, poverty, family, sexual abuse, racism and religion. A study in the United states done by Dan Habib says, everyday, three thousand teenagers becomes pregnant. Eighty percent of young Americans have intercourse before they turn twenty, and thousands of people in their twenties are dying after having contracted HIV as teens. With media playing such an important role in the lives of today’s teens, it is no wonder that many of the messages about teen sexuality come directly from the media. Prime time T.V is now a target for sexuality themes. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that more than half of all television programs, excluding the news, sporting events, and children’s programming, contained sexual content, incorporating an average of more than three scenes per hour and Less than 10% of the programs with sexuality themes incorporated any reference to the consequences of sexual activity. Another study by the same group found that teens believe that the media have some influence over their sexual decisions. The study found that three out of four 15-17 year olds indicated that sexual content on TV influences the behavior of their peers. Teens also say they think portrayals of teen sex on television and in the movies is one of several possible factors affecting teen sexual activity. It is clear that more and more teens and pre-teens are becoming sexually active before they are ready.
|
