Recent studies confirmed concerns about the influence of media on children and adolescents. A journal article in 'Pediatrics', entitled "Exposure to Degrading Versus Nondegrading Music Lyrics and Sexual Behavior Among Youth," was based on telephone interviews with 1,461 teens aged 12 to 17. The group was interviewed three times: in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
The average youth, according to the article, listens to music 1.5 to 2.5 hours per day, not counting music videos. Sexual themes are common in much of this music and range from romantic and playful to degrading and hostile. The authors found a strong justification for the notion that listening to sexual lyrics may influence adolescents' sexual behavior. Their study foound that "Teens who spent more time listening to music were more likely than those who spent less to initiate intercourse."
The results showed that the more teens listened to degrading sexual music content, the more likely they were to subsequently initiate intercourse. By contrast, exposure to non-degrading sexual music did not lead to changes in sexual behavior. "Reducing the amount of degrading sexual content in popular music or reducing young people's exposure to music with this type of content could help delay the onset of sexual behavior," concluded the article.
So what music do you listen to?
No comments:
Post a Comment