The Orion Online

Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Chad Lewis [Click to enlarge]

[Click to enlarge]

Kids aren't having sex because they want to be just like Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex and the City," they're doing it because - gasp - it's supposedly quite fun.

Adolescents who watch a lot of "sexy" TV are twice as likely to either get pregnant or impregnate someone in the following three years, according to a RAND Corporation press release.

Obviously, it's all because of sexy TV. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with a lack of adequate sex education or maybe self-esteem issues, a broken home or magazines, advertisements and other outlets of the media.

In the study's defense, Anita Chandra, a behavioral scientist who led the research, did say in a phone interview for a Reuters article that the research doesn't claim to prove "causation," and she acknowledges there are other factors at play.

It would be hard to argue that TV has absolutely nothing to do with sexual promiscuity. The more kids watch sexually themed things on TV, the more they become desensitized to it. This is undeniable.

But believe it or not, sexual promiscuity at young ages existed before the media. There are too many other factors at play to solely blame TV.

And as for TV only playing up the good side of sex and not showing the negative effects: Seriously? There are a lot of comedy shows that play up the awkwardness of sexual situations that go awry.

For example, in one episode of "Friends" - which was used in the study as a "sexy" show - Ross gets Rachel pregnant on accident. There is a whole scene in which Ross freaks out and asks how it's possible, seeing as how they used a condom.

Rachel explains to him that condoms are not 100 percent effective. This hardly seems to emphasize only the good parts of sex. Really, is accidently getting someone pregnant because of your naive ignorance of the statistics surrounding contraception a positive? I didn't think so.

This is by no means the only example of using comedy to bring up an important point. Do we really need to go back to the '80s and '90s when every sitcom had a big, moral point and at the end the main actor says something like, "Sex is serious, and you should be serious about it" and then they give you a toll-free number to call for sex advice about why you should abstain?

Parents simply need to take more pride in communication with their children, even when that means bringing up an awkward conversation about sex. No parent wants to talk sex with his or her kid, and no kid wants to talk sex with his or her parents.

Dr. Drew Pinsky is a step in the right direction. His new show "Sex… with Mom and Dad" forces kids and parents to talk about it. They have three sessions with Dr. Drew and play sex games and have lots of awkward conversations. The idea is that if you can talk about sex, you can talk about anything.

It needs to be mutually understood that although you may want to protect your little baby girl from sex forever, it's a part of growing up. In today's society it is important that kids hear it from their parents first, and not get taught sex from Carrie and the other really fake women. They're not real and neither are their sex lives.

Much like everything else in life, moderation is key. Obviously, sex before coming of age legally or sex before you're emotionally ready for the responsibility should be discouraged fervently. However, this doesn't mean we have to be complete prudes about it.

People like to have sex. So what? At least explain how to be safe about it. Explain the emotional and physical ramifications of the action and let kids feel as though they're making an informed decision.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe everyone will realize that shows with any hint at sexuality are corrupting the youth, and if there isn't a toll-free number and disclaimer at the end of the episode, there isn't a good message.

Maybe they're right. Sex is bad, nasty and wrong. And watching "Sex and the City" will get you pregnant, kind of like how swimming in a pool with boys can get you pregnant.

Jen Siino can be reached at
jsiino@theorion.com

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