Sexual imagery occurs once every four minutes on network television and three times every four minutes on cable, said a new study.
Nearly two out of three (63 percent) occurrences of sexual content in media are visual images, while 37 percent involve spoken words or song lyrics, according to a study released by the Washington D.C.-based Center for Media and Public Affairs.
“The media reflect our behavior and alter it simultaneously,” said Cliff Vaughn, project coordinator at the Baptist Center for Ethics in Nashville. “The more passive consumers are, the more powerful the mediated message becomes, and the greater the media’s power to alter our own values, beliefs and attitudes.”
Nearly all (98 percent) of sex portrayed in media has no physical consequences and 85 percent has no emotional consequences, according to the study.
“Public concern over sexual themes and images in popular entertainment extends beyond the sheer volume of such material to the context in which it is presented,” the study said.
The study also noted that only in about 2 percent of sexual scenes is there a physical consequence such as pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease.
Almost 75 percent of sex portrayed in media is extramarital. Sex between married couples occurs much less frequently, according to the study.
The following results were found in various forms of media, according to the Center for Media and Public Affairs:
Network television shows have 16 “soft-core” sexual scenes or references every hour.
There are six hard-core scenes or references every hour.
Basic cable shows have 12 sexual references every hour.
Music videos have 23 soft-core sex scenes every hour.
Feature films have seven sexual references every hour.
“These ideas suggest every individual should take responsibility for messages he or she consumes,” said Vaughn.
(ABP)
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