TEENS AND SEX: THE ROLE OF POPULAR TV - KFF

July 2001

TEENS AND SEX: THE ROLE OF POPULAR TV

TV shows and movies are an important source of information for teens about sexual health issues.

Young teens (ages 13-15) rank entertainment media as the top source of information about sexuality and sexual health. Sixty-one percent say kids their age get "a lot" of information about these issues from entertainment media like TV, magazines, movies and music. [Source: 1997 Kaiser Family Foundation and Children Now National Surveys: Talking With Kids About Tough Issues.]

Sources From Which Teens Have Learned "A Lot" about Pregnancy and Birth Control

Teachers, school nurses, or classes at school Parents

Friends other than boy/girl friends Television shows or movies

27% 23%

40% 36%

Twenty-five percent of teens (ages 12-17) say they learned "a lot" about HIV and AIDS from TV shows or movies. [Sources: 2000 Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of Teens on HIV/AIDS.]

Books or pamphlets Boy/girl friends Magazines

Brothers, sisters or cousins

16% 13% 12% 12%

A family planning clinic like Planned Parenthood

9%

Lots of teens (40% of 13-18 year-olds) say they get ideas from TV and movies about how to talk with their partners about sexual issues. TV and movies ranked third as a source of ideas,

A doctor or nurse at a doctor's office or hospital

9%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

after friends and school. [Source: 1998 Kaiser Family

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation Survey on Teens and Sex, June 1996

Foundation and YM Magazine National Survey of Teens: Teens Talk about Dating, Intimacy, and Their Sexual Experiences.]

Nearly one out of four teens (ages 12-18) say they learn "a lot" about pregnancy and birth control from TV shows and movies. TV and movies rank fourth among teens as a common source of information about these issues, after school, parents and friends. [Source: 1996 Kaiser Family Foundation Survey on Teens and Sex: What They Say Teens Today Need to Know, And Who They Listen To.]

Four out of ten 15-17 year-olds say they have learned "a fair amount" from TV shows and movies about sexually transmitted diseases. [Source: 1999 Kaiser Family Foundation, MTV, and Teen People Survey of 15 to 17 Year-Olds: What Teens Know and Don't (But Should) About Sexually Transmitted Diseases.]

Parents say TV often sparks conversations with their kids about sexual issues.

Seventy percent of parents of children under age 18 say they have had a conversation about a sexual issue with their child because of something one of them saw on a TV show. [Source: Sex in the 90s: Kaiser Family Foundation/ ABC TV: 1998 National Survey of Americans on Sex and Sexual Health.]

Forty-five percent of parents of 8-12 year-olds say their child has at some point asked a question about sex, AIDS, or some other sensitive issue because of something they saw on TV. [Source: 1996 Kaiser Family Foundation and Children Now Survey on Sex, Kids and the Family Hour.]

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation: 2400 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (650) 854-9400 Facsimile: (650) 854-4800 Washington, D.C. Office: 1450 G Street, N.W., Suite 250, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-5270 Facsimile: (202) 347-5274 Request for Publications: (800) 656-4533 The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is an independent national health care philanthropy and is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries.

Even a brief mention of a sexual health issue on a TV show can have a significant impact on the audience.

After a short mention of the issue of emergency contraception on an April, 1997, episode of the NBC drama ER, the number of viewers who were aware of this contraceptive option increased by one-third, from 50% to 67% of viewers. [Source: 1997 Kaiser Family Foundation Surveys of ER Viewers: Documenting the Power of Entertainment TV.]

After a brief mention of the STD human papilloma virus in a February 2000 episode of the show, the number of viewers who knew what HPV was tripled from 9% to 28%. [Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, Survey of ER Viewers, February 2000.]

ER Viewers' Awareness of Emergency Contraception: Before and After April 1997 Episode

Percent of viewers who say that there is something a woman can do to prevent pregnancy even after unprotected sex...

80%

70%

60%

50%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Before ER episode

67% After ER episode

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation Surveys of ER Viewers, April 1997

ER Viewers' Awareness of HPV: Before and After February 2000 Episode

Percent of viewers who know what HPV is...

30%

28%

25%

20%

15%

10%

9%

5%

0%

Before ER episode

After ER episode

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, Survey of ER Viewers, February 2000

There is a significant amount of sexual content on TV today, and most does not include any reference to safer sex or the consequences of unprotected sexual activity.

Two-thirds (68%) of all TV shows other than news, sports and children's shows contain sexual content. On broadcast TV, three out of four (75%) network prime-time shows contain either sexual dialogue or sexual behavior. [Source: 2001 Kaiser Family Foundation Report: Sex on TV.]

One out of ten shows (10%) with sexual content includes any mention of possible risks or responsibilities of sexual activity, or any reference to contraception, protection, or safer sex. While a few programs feature issues of sexual health as a primary storyline of an entire episode, these are the exception: Only two percent of all shows with sexual content had a primary emphasis on safer sex related issues. [Source: 2001 Kaiser Family Foundation Report: Sex on TV.]

Many Americans believe TV shows can play a positive role in educating young people about responsible sexual activity, but most think there need to be important changes in this regard.

Nearly two-thirds of parents (64%) say TV and the movies have "a lot" of influence on the way their own and other children think about sex, violence, and drugs and alcohol. [Source: 2001 Kaiser Family Foundation and Nickelodeon Survey on Talking with Kids about Tough Issues.]

Thirty-five percent of parents say TV could have "a lot" of influence, and 43% say it could have at least "a little" influence in helping children learn about making responsible decisions about sex. [Source: 1996 Kaiser Family Foundation and Children Now Survey on Sex, Kids and the Family Hour.]

A quarter of teens (24% of 12-17 year-olds) say they would like more information about sex and relationships from TV. [Source: 2001 Kaiser Family Foundation and Seventeen Survey of Teens: Teen's Opinions, Attitudes, and Awareness of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.]

Seventy percent of Americans believe there should be more references to condom use in TV shows and movies that contain sexual content. [Source: Sex in the 90s: Kaiser Family Foundation/ ABC TV: 1998 National Survey of Americans on Sex and Sexual Health.]

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