The Impact of Sex in the Media on Society

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According to a poll of 10 to 16 year olds done by the advocacy group Children Now, "77 percent say that there is too much premarital sex on T.V., while 62 percent say sex on T.V. and in movies influences kids to have sex when they are too young" (Clark, "Sex, Violence"). The influences of the media is felt everywhere and especially in terms of human sexuality. Everything from TV commercials to the newspaper has some form of sex in it, usually to keep the audience interested. In modern society, the changing times as well as media executives wanting more ratings(and therefore money) have lead to teenagers more willing to try sexual acts at a younger age and the country being more openminded about sexual issues. The main cause behind the increase of an obsession with sex is media executives want better ratings and so they will shove more provacative and disturbing images into the public eye. Dan Jaffe, executive Vice President of the Association of National Adertisers claims, "If everyone is really so upset, the no one would be watching. The best test is whether the ratings go down" (qtd. by Clark, "Sex, Violence"). At one point the FOX network was one of the worst at offending and upsetting many different people, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP). They tried to get FOX's owner Rupert Murdoch to be denied a broadcast license from the Federal Communications Commission(FCC) stating that the network had "brought the greatest debasement in taste, character quality and decency in television history" (qtd. by Clark, "Sex, Violence"). For more ratings as well as more money, media executives are showcasing more obscenity and indecency than ever before and is having negative effects on teens. T... ... middle of paper ... ... the media. As is shown, the impact of sex in the media effects modern society in both positive and negative ways. Teenagers seem to be more open to sexual activity at an earlier age due to the medias' overabundance concerning sex. The country is more liberal about some sexual issues due to the sexual revolution of the '60s and societys' notons of sex evolving. The impact of sex in the media on society would lessen with the correct sexual education and media literacy which is an awareness of the medias' impact. Works Cited Clark, Charles S. "The Obscenity Debate." CQ Researcher 1.31(1991): 969-992. CQ Researcher Online. Web. 15 Oct 2011. ---."Sex, Violence and the Media." CQ Researcher 5.43(1995): 1017-1040. CQ Researcher Online. Web. 15 Oct 2011. Friedman, Jane. "Teen Sex." CQ Researcher 15.32(2005): 761-784. CQ Researcher Online. Web. 15 Oct 2011.

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