The Abstinence Clearinghouse Blog

Recently, an article appeared on BreakPoint entitled “Under the Influence” (1/15/09).  The article cited a study by the Rand Corporation that followed 2,000 kids between the ages of 12 and 17 for three years.  It asked them about “their television viewing habits and sexual behavior.”  The researchers found that adolescents with “high levels of exposure” to television shows containing “sexual content” were twice as likely to be “involved in a pregnancy” as those with less exposure.

The people who produce such shows try to deny and say there is no correlation between the two or validity to the study.  The creator of one of the racy shows stated, “teens were having sex and getting pregnant ‘long before there was even television.’”  However Terry Mattingly writes, “images have a cumulative affect on our souls and dispositions.  One by one, they shape our imaginations, and thus, our ideas about what is normative and desirable.”

Go on line and read the whole story.  It’s very interesting and simply goes to prove that we must monitor our childrens’ viewing and do all we can to keep them from falling “under the influence”.