Did anyone see this article, thoughts??
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| Sun, 11-09-2008 - 5:15pm |
Saw this on msnbc and thought it was worth discussing here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27506234/
Gist of the article is that there appears to be a link between kids who regularly watch shows geared towards adults (i.e., ones with more sexual content) and their sexual activity, specifically kids who regularly watched these shows were more likely to become pregnant as a teen.
Supposedly they factored in parental influence and involvement.
I find this really startling, and wonder how others feel about it. I am very conservative about our TV watching and am considered fairly rigid wrt what I let my kids watch, now I feel a bit better about being such a party pooper!
I've never really limited things for that specific reason, more that I prefer my kids spend their time in more worthy pursuits and prefer they watch shows geared to their age group and not adult shows.
Thoughts?
We owe almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed, but to those who have differed. ~ Charles Caleb Colton
Edited 11/9/2008 7:30 pm ET by nancymc


I didn't read the article but listened about the study on NPR. While I do not think shows dealing with adult sexuality are healthy for kids, I don't believe it's ONLY TV at fault here. A child ALLOWED to watch that sort of programming are typically undersupervised. Kids who are undersupervised tend to get in trouble. The kid may also have permissive parents who don't draw lines with them.
I never like studies like this because there is no easy answer. Getting rid of the TV isn't going to solve teen pregnancy on it's own as you'd still have kids with permissive parents or severely undersupervised.
I don't know that I agree with you fully, I do in principle, but I can easily name preteens and early teens I know whose parents are very involved in their lives but who allow their girls to watch anything they want (and they do watch a ton of network TV with themes I am uncomfortable with).
Not all parents consider TV watching to be a problem and figure they are mature enough to handle it. Many parents watch it with their kids, so it isn't a supervision issue all the time.
I do agree with you that there are many factors, but supposedly the study factored that in. I don't really trust studies that try to pinpoint one cause for such a multi-faceted issue either, but I did think it was really an interesting thing to research.
See, I would still consider that "undersupervised" or "permissive parenting." I know plenty of parents who are very involved but not the ways they should be. We know families whose parents go to all the soccer games and volunteer at the school yet they admit their middle schoolers have TV's in their rooms, typically stay up until 11 pm on school nights and are being allowed to have boyfriends at 10 or 11-years-old.
This isn't shocking at all. Of course kids who watch sexy TV shows are going to have more sex or be more likely to get pregnant, but it's not only because of the TV content. Parents who allow their kids to watch shows like this are either not paying attention or they're not paying the right kind of attention or they have seriously messed up values. Any one of those things can result in a kid with problems. The TV watching is just a symptom of that.
There are several moms around here who are a lot more involved with their kids than I am--they go to every single game, drive their kids wherever they want to go, host parties, etc--but they also indulge their kids by buying them matching Victoria's Secret bras and underwear, Coach bags and Hollister clothes (nope, I'm not exaggerating), and lettting them watch R rated movies. Guess which kids are always in trouble at school for wearing sleazy clothes or making out in empty classrooms?
It's about your own values and how you pass them to your kids.
When kids are desensitized to certain things...of course they are more prone to try things. Drinking, drugs, sex, vulgar language etc.
This is why I am very rigid about (and always have been) what my kids watch and listen to. I make no excuses for it nor do I feel bad.
I try to limit what Kurt watches. Too bad his dad and grandfather don't. He was watching 24 and Heroes with them. Not anymore. he still watches Family Guy and Seinfeld. I am about to make him stop watching Seinfeld, since its such a stupid show, and not for kids. I'm actually considering getting rid of TV altogether. I never watch it, and my daughter only watches DVDs so i could save 40 bucks a month.
I wasn't allowed to watch much TV as a kid. I distinctly remember being jealous because my friends were allowed to watch Three's Company and I wasn't. My mother was not permissive or indulgent...at all. I got pregnant when I was 16 (although I didn't know it until I had a m/c) and was pregnant with Kurt just after I turned 20. I know its just anecdotal but there are so many other factors at play. I think TV isn't the worst of them.
My mom was not overly strict about what I watched on tv,I was not allowed to see R movies,but I do remember watching All in the Family and Threes Company and shows like them.WHen I watch some of these shows today and hear some of the jokes and innunendo,I know for a fact that I must have laughed at some of it becasue my parents were laughing at the show.I was very naive,probably until I went to college.Gabby knows why more than I did when I was 12.Its not that my mom kept stuff from me,it is just that when I was growing up in the late 70's the kids I was friends with were much more innocent.The thought of having sex inH/S would have appauled me.I just was not ready and no tv show would have caused me to have sex.My bf and I watched The Youg and The resless and Guiding light everyday of our summer vacation.I do think most shows today are much more in your face and there never seems to be any negative consequences to some of the behavior potrayed on shows such as Sex in the City and Gossip girl.Gab did watch Gossip girl once last year and she turned it off becasue she thought it was too old for her.I don't let Gab see any R movies,but I she has seen Gossip girls and Deperate housewives and shows like this.We also watch Ugly Betty every week.However 95% of he time Gabby still loves Disney.I don't think sexy tv is the main reason teens are having sex more.I think in general society is much more excepting of sexy material and it really is in your face 24/7.I do try and limit the amt of tv Gab watches and most nights she is too busy to watch tv anyway.