TV often gets a bad rap for being a bad influence on young people. But a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and U.S. News & World Report found that many teenagers come away from their favorite shows with positive messages about sex and sexuality — like how to say “no” to sex when they’re not ready for it, or how to talk to a partner about safer sex. And about a third of teenagers said they talked to their parents about a sexual issue after seeing something about it on TV.
According to the survey, about three-quarters of teens believe that sexual content on TV is a definite influence on their peers. Interestingly, only about a quarter of them said the content affects their own behavior to the same degree.
You can find out more about the study on the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Web site.
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