Wow! Watching TV Influences Behavior!

Wow! Watching TV Influences Behavior!

What a surprise! From the November 3, 2008 Washington Post (that well known organ of the Religious Right):

Teenagers who watch a lot of television featuring flirting, necking, discussion of sex and sex scenes are much more likely than their peers to get pregnant or get a partner pregnant, according to the first study to directly link steamy programming to teen pregnancy.

The study, which tracked more than 700 12-to-17-year-olds for three years, found that 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.

"Watching this kind of sexual content on television is a powerful factor in increasing the likelihood of a teen pregnancy," said lead researcher Anita Chandra. "We found a strong association." The study is being published today in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Now, I am prepared to consider other possible explanations. Perhaps those teenagers who are most inclined towards sexual activity are drawn to "steamy programming"--and the kids who are wearing the "True Love Waits" rings only watch wholesome shows. But isn't it more likely that just like TV commercials makes people want to buy the goods advertised, that watching sexually charged materials might incline teenagers (whose bodies are already rather primed for this) to do more than think about having sex?

Here's a really wild idea: what do you think would happen if TV shows vigorously promoted chastity, sobriety, hard work, respect for others, and education? I'm not suggesting that every teenager in America would suddenly fly right. Rebellion is, unfortunately, part of what many (most?) teenagers do, as a way of differentiating themselves from their parents. But think about the kids who are drawn to promiscuity, substance abuse, laziness. Do you suppose if the popular culture were discouraging these behaviors, that some of those kids might not go the wrong direction, or at least not go so far?

I'm not looking for Father Knows Best TV shows. But part of why I can't watch a lot of sitcoms that are on broadcast TV (besides their inanity) is how embarrassingly vulgar they have become. What started out an attempt to make TV shows more "realistic" has in turn created a popular vulgarity that then justifies making TV shows even more vulgar--in the continuing pursuit of "realism" (as if many sitcoms are realistic in any other respect). This is a positive feedback loop--each decline in entertainment media encourages a decline in the real world, which turns into another decline in the entertainment media. Hollywood is winning the culture wars--and that includes in the homes of a lot of devout Christians, Jews, and Muslims.