Forum Sex Education Outside of School

Short Description
asked questions” (FAQ) section, since teen-. FORUM. SEX EDUCATION OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL. Can the Mass Media Be Healthy Sex Educators? …

Website: www.guttmacher.org | Filesize: 36kb

Content
Volume 32, Number 5, September/October 2000 255
and portrayals in every form of media.
Adolescents rank the media with parents
and peers as important sources of sexual
information. This may be because the
media are better at depicting the passion
and positive possibilities of sex than its
problems and consequences. Despite increasing
public concern about the potential
health risks of early, unprotected sexual
activity, only about one in 11 of the
programs on television that include sexual
content mention possible risks or responsibilities.
Sexually transmitted diseases
other than HIV and AIDS are almost
never discussed, and unintended pregnancies
are rarely shown as the outcomes
of unprotected sex.2 Abortion is a taboo
topic, too controversial for commercial
television and magazines. Homosexual
and transgendered youth rarely find
themselves represented in the mainstream
media. Although a few youth-targeted
programs, such as “Dawson’s Creek,”
have recently included gay characters,
what some have called “compulsory heterosexuality”
prevails.3
The clash between the media’s depiction
of sexual relations and the real-life experiences
of youth contributes to their difficulties
in making healthy sexual
decisions. Although we still have much to
learn about how the media influence
young people’s sexuality, evidence is…