The number of sexual scenes on television has nearly doubled since 1998, according to a biennial study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which also found that 70 percent of all shows include some sexual content, up from 56 percent seven years ago.
The study, called Sex on TV 4, also found that one in nine prime time network shows with sex include a reference for risks or responsibilities, which observers say is helpful but leaves plenty of room for improvement.
“Given how high the stakes are, the messages TV sends teens about sex are important,” Vicky Rideout, a Kaiser vice president who over saw the study, said in a Nov. 9 news release. “Television has the power to bring issues of sexual risk and responsibility to life in a way that no sex-ed class or public health brochure really can.”
Researchers examined a representative sample of more than 1,000 hours of programming, and all sexual content, including talk about sex and sexual behavior, was measured.
Among the findings:
Sex is more common during prime-time hours with nearly eight in 10 shows including sexual content, averaging 5.9 sexual scenes per hour.
Two-thirds of all shows include talk about sex, and 35 percent of all shows include sexual behaviors.
The percentage of shows with sexual content by genre includes movies with 92 percent, sitcoms with 87 percent, drama series with 87 percent and soap operas with 85 percent, the study said.
Among the 20 most highly rated shows for teen viewers, just 10 percent of those with sexual content include a reference to sexual risks or responsibilities at some point in the episode.
Only about half of all scenes related to intercourse involve characters who have an established relationship with one another, Kaiser found.
(BP)
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