How young is too young for sexual activity? In my house it was any time before marriage, but the reality is that teens and even children are sexual active way before they or their parents are ready. Some kids as young as nine years old are taking the initiative to experiment with sexual activity, although thankfully this isn’t the norm. As scary as this is, it is important for parents to understand the various reasons behind early sexual activity.
A recent study at the Children’s Hospital of Boston may offer at least one clue about early sexual activity and adolescence. Researchers studied and tracked children from the age of six to eighteen, monitoring their television habits and their sexual activity. For every hour that the youngest children watched adult-targeted content, their likelihood of engaging in early sexual activity increased by 33 percent!
The study showed that the younger children are when exposed to adult-theme content, then the younger they were when they became sexually active. The lead researcher of the study, Hernan Delgado, MD, was quoted as saying, “Television and movies are among the leading sources of information about sex and relationships for adolescents. Our research shows that their sexual attitudes and expectations are influenced much earlier in life.”
We all know that television can influence children. They just don’t have the brain development, maturity or life experience to be able filter content. Plus, children are geared for learning from their environment.
While most parents may not allow their young children to watch adult-targeted television on their own, how many times might a young child wander in when an adult is watching something that may not be completely appropriate? Also, I feel that inappropriate content may be hiding under the guise of children’s or teen programing.
While many of my daughter’s preschool set are bopping around as their favorite High School Musical character, I prefer that she emulate Dora the Explorer. My eight-year-old (today) enjoys Noggin or PBS. My kids are definitely less mature and less worldly than many of their peers, and for now, I prefer it that way. What do you think?
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