Sex in the media (telecommunication) - Essay Example

The issue is a disturbing yet interesting phenomenon that coincides with the growing media expansion and the sexual sophistication of a younger audience who spend unending hours in front of the television. Probably the most divisive subjects when it comes to the media’s responsibility toward society is its powerful control over teens, who, according to a Neilson Study conducted in 2009, “spends 104 hours a month watching tv” (US Teens Spend.par 7). “That the media powerfully shapes teens sexual lives to generally deleterious effect is widely taken for granted by politicians, parents, religious leaders, journalists, and even teens themselves” (Carpenter par 2), and according to a Pew Study, “75% of the 1,505 adults polled.

would like to see tighter enforcement of government rules on broadcast content.” (Facts and TV Statistics par 1). One of the major issues involves teen pregnancy and its relationship to sex on television. While there have been many studies done, no one can seem to agree whether the sexual content on television actually has the negative affect some insist. We and network officials can argue the point forever, however there are many who, working with children every day, see the effects in a very concrete way.

One of them is Eileen Hart, in whose opinion it is not only true regarding pregnancy, but believes that as a society we should at minimum expect the educational system to counteract the damage. She suggests it be done through the teaching of rhetorical in English education to prepare students to critically evaluate media messages. She cites television as an especially damaging purveyor of inaccurate sexual images in an environment where “sensory stimuli [combined] with relaxed, non-critical viewing – strongly correlates with negative teen behaviors that result in teen pregnancy” (Hart 1).

Along with how teens assess what they see in the media, most of the visual information