Summary of the journal
Many people believe that the media influences behavior of adolescents. Most adolescents in the United States have been found to engage in sexual activity at a very early age and with multiple partners. Exposure to mass media affects the sexual attitudes and behaviors of adolescents.
An extensive systematic review of relevant biomedical and social science literature based on the sexual exposure created by mass media, its effects and possible ways to mitigate the effects. It was found that the television is airing contents whose effect on adolescents cannot be undermined. The content of other media are terra incognita (Lillian et al., 2013). The media arouses the sexual curiosity of adolescents and most of them find themselves striving to familiarize themselves with the content of the media. Approximately 47% of high school students admitted having engaged in sexual intercourse. Notably, 7.4% of them reported having sex before the age of 13 while 14% admitted having more than 4 sexual partners and termed the mass media as the main motivating factor that made them to engage in sex (Lillian et al., 2013). More than 73% of youths in the age bracket 8-18 years have access to audio media, TVs and the internet.
However, the results cannot serve as the foundation for evidence-based public policy due to their limited generalizability. The enduring efficiency of several technological, social-cultural, and media approaches to minimizing that exposure is not known. The greatest risk facing adolescents who are sexually active is conducting STIs and also acquiring unwanted pregnancies that may lead to school dropouts or fatalities in some extreme cases (Arnett, 2007).
Various theories acknowledge the potential of the media to influence behavior. Media messages are an important influence in the life of an adolescent. Monitoring of adolescents behavior should be a shared responsibility between the government, NGOs and parents (Lillian et al., 2013). The media should clearly filter contents so that the content aired will not adversely affect the behavior of adolescents and compromise societal values.
Summary of popular media article
Currently, popular movies are exposing sexual content that in returns predicts sexual behavior in adolescence. According to Hanover, New Hampshire, written on July 24, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com). The aim of the article was to examine the prevalence and correlates of the exposure to sexual content in popular media. The data were collected in 2012 by the Researchers at New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College (Angela, 2012).
The analysis was based on a subsample of 1,228 participant aged from 12 to 14 years old. Each participant was expected to report which movies they had seen. This was from collections of fifty randomly selected movies. Before recruiting the participants for the study, researchers surveyed 684 top-grossing movies from the year 1998-2004. The movies were coded for seconds of sexual content for instance sexual intercourse and heavy kissing.
The aim of the study was to urge parents to defend their children from sexual content in films which are displayed by the media. This was due to significant impact on the sexual behavior of young generation. According to Dr. Ross O’Hara, exposure of adolescence to more sexual content in movies leads to early and risky sexual behaviors as well as having more sexual partners.
According to the article, six years later the participants were surveyed how sexual active when they were in old age. How many partners they had and how risky they had associated in sexual behavior (Angela, 2012). The result was those who extremely expose themselves to high levels of sexual content from the media they ended up getting more sexual partners and indulging themselves to risky sexual behavior, therefore becoming sexually active earlier.
In conclusion, 57% of American adolescence aged between 14 and 16 years. The media is the utmost source of sexual information. They always are in a situation of not differentiating what they see on the screen and what they confront in day to day life (Angela, 2012). The article clearly and strongly suggests that parents should restrict their children from seeing sexual content from any source at young ages.
Comparison and critique
The two articles discuss about the relationship on the sexual activity and the media; this is what they share in common. . The adolescents are the study group and it has been found that watching sexual content have shaped themselves to certain sexual behavior and attitudes. They explains how the adolescents engaged in watching sexual material ends ups engaging themselves in early sex and at some points in their life they have multiple partners. Both the articles are based on a scientific basis in drawing up their findings and conclusions.
The mostly noted differences on the articles is on the research methodology used to collect information on the relationship that exists between watching sexual content and the engagement in sexual behavior. The journal bases its findings on a very different research methodology. The Official Journal of the American Academy of pediatrics uses extensive systematic review of relevant biomedical and social sciences literature. The journal is composed of a well-developed research measure that is specified and trusted in the conducting the study. On the other hand, the popular media article findings and report are based on conducting a survey among the target population. The survey involved 1228 participants who were between 12-14 years old. The research covered by the media article must have taken a longer duration than that of the journal since the participants have to be studied under a given duration.
The greatest value for consumers reading the articles is that they are enlightened on the effects of mass media on the sexual behaviors of the adolescents. Readers have an advantage in that they get to understand the detrimental effects and the damage they can cause to the younger age. The articles are also of help to the parents of the younger children since they are made aware of the need to select the Television content that will be safe for their children. The parents and guardian can therefore play an active role in preventing the children from accessing the sexual content from mass media.
The Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics seems to be biased in a way. The literature review does not base itself on the factual on the ground. It can be said that it has a common misinterpretation of facts when compared to the media article. Nevertheless, the media article utilizes surveys for data collection and therefore affected with the aspect of personal interest. The journal has a disadvantage in a way that it is too detailed and for the readers to capture the information presented, they have to take time and comprehend for easy understanding.
The scholarly approach gives a comprehensive analysis of the information. Details and facts are clearly presented, the issue is looked at from various perspectives and the reader is meticulously brought towards the conclusion by exposing them to various facts that have plainly been established and compact evidence given to support it. The scholarly approach also looks at an issue from diverse perspectives and the thoughts and findings of different scholars are integrated hence the derivation of a solid conclusion that the reader can easily follow to see how it was derived and the reasons for making such a conclusion. The reader is therefore more likely to have confidence in the facts and conclusion presented. Scholarly articles are more reliable as they are likely to be free of personal bias.
A media article presents information in an easy to understand method. It eradicates the complex details and presents the very necessary details in a simple language that the reader can understand without spraining. However, the media may give misleading information as personal interests can affect the accuracy of the information. However, its reliability is low as it has not been reviewed and gross misrepresentation of facts is not uncommon. It is therefore necessary that one formally learns the elementary issues regarding sex rather than relying on the popular media sources to avert misapprehension facts or obtaining misleading information.
Conclusion
The article concludes that high percentage of young generation about 60% they end up being exposed to sexual behaviors due to media being utmost source of sexual information. Therefore, parental guidance is required where there is sexual information from the media. According to the journal, More than 73% of youth have tendency of exposing and accessing to audio media, TVs and the internet with negative significant.
There are various theories that acknowledge the potential of the media to influence behavior. This mostly ends up in the life of adolescence. In conclusion, both article and journal try to advice parents to protect and guide their children from accessing and seeing sexual content from the media. However the journal has hidden information of sexual exposure but it clearly restrict children form awful sexual behaviors likewise the article.
References
Angela O’Brien, Tue Jul 24, Exposure to sexual content in popular movies predicts sexual behavior in adolescence: study. 2012.
Arnett, J. J. (2007). Encyclopedia of children, adolescents, and the media. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Kirsh, S. J. (2006). Children, adolescents and media violence: A critical look at the research. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications
Lillian, S, Escobar-Chaves, Susan R. Tortolero, Christine M. Markham, Barbara J. (2013). Impact of the media on adolescent sexual attitudes and behavior. Low, Patricia Eitel and Patricia Thickstun. Pediatrics 2005;116;303 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-0355D.
Nelson, P. G. (1992). Nudity and sexual activity in the media: Harming individuals and damaging society. Latheronwheel: Whittles Pub.
