Rough Draft - Media and Teen Scandal: How Television Glamorizes Teen Sex

I anxiously flip through the channels on television to try to tune into my favorite Monday night show, Gossip Girl. As the last scene closes, one of the main characters stands over her bed and flaunts a risqué set of lingerie as she waits for her love interest. It doesn’t take me long to remind myself that these characters are only in their senior year of high school. I find myself wondering what is going through the minds of younger teens that watch this show every week, for a sexy scene like this one isn’t rare. This isn’t the only show that seems to glamorize having sex at a young age. Some would argue that teens are going to have sex at the age that they choose despite what kinds of things they see on television. However, television shows tend to dress up sex scenes and leave out showing the possible consequences of engaging in sex at a young age. The shows that are on television have an effect on how teens in today’s society act and what kind of standards teens set for themselves.
Studies have shown that there is a relation between young teens who choose to have sex and what they watch or see on television. An online article by CNN states that teens who see and hear a lot about sex in the media may be more than twice as likely to have early sexual intercourse as those who are rarely exposed to sexual content (Warner 1). Teens that see sexual material earlier in life are more prone to engage in sexual activity because they see it in the media and think that it is acceptable to do it if it is being aired in national television. Also, teens that lack positive adult role models in their lives may look to the media to help form their personal standards. When a television program airs episode after episode containing sexual scenes and content without showing the possible, not so glamorous side of engaging in sexual activity, teens may see sexual intercourse as something that has no down sides or risk factors. Furthermore, the amount of sexual content that teens see on television is shocking. Another article online states that “The study found that American teens, who spend an average of three hours per day watching television, now see an average of six sexual scenes per hour when watching in prime time” (Zwillich 1). If the media has such a strong influence in the lives of young Americans, they should be advertising ways in which teens can protect themselves or should spend time conveying to them that there are risks and responsibilities that come along with having sex.
The media glamorizes young teen sex in many different shows that air on regular cable television. An article from the Los Angeles Times states that With its impossibly good-looking cast, a parade of candy-colored designer fashion and provocative ad campaigns, it's easy to dismiss the CW's " Gossip Girl" as just another sexed-up, youth-oriented product to step off the TV drama assembly line (Portuguez 1). This isn’t the first show that has aired on television that promotes teen scandal and it wont be the last.