It seems like basic common sense to most parents, but now there is proof: if your kids watch a lot of steamy, suggestive TV, they are more likely to have sex that results in a teen pregnancy.
Here are the money paragraphs:
The study, which tracked more than 700 12-to-17-year-olds for three years, found that those who viewed the most sexual content on TV were about twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy as those who saw the least.
“Watching this kind of sexual content on television is a powerful factor in increasing the likelihood of a teen pregnancy,” said lead researcher Anita Chandra. “We found a strong association.” The study is being published today in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Mommas and Daddies, turn off that (steamy, sex-filled) TV!
One quick note that is kind of off-topic: I have been traveling a lot lately, which is the only time I get to watch much TV — in my hotel room. Anyway, I was flipping through the channels and watched Fox for a bit, and on came a commercial with Barack Obama. Obama said parents should do the right thing: turn off the TV! I wondered if Barack ran that commercial on other stations, or only on Fox.