Sex, Drugs, And Violence On American Television
Not very many parents would think that the television set would be their worst enemy located in there very own living room. More than seventy-five percent of our American television shows contain sexual and violent content, as well as drug and alcohol use. MTV, TLC, and TBS are some of the most popular channels that contain sex, drugs, and violence. Adolecents and children of many ages watch and learn from these television programs. Pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, addictions to drugs and alcohol, domestic abuse, and violent crimes have gained popularity on our television shows and in reality.
The Western Journal of Medicine states that on the average, teenage viewers see upwards of 143 incidents of sexual behavior on prime time television a week. This includes movies, television series, music videos, and advertisements, all without any warnings concerning teenage pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. The program "Sixteen And Pregnant" on MTV, glorifies teenage girls participating in sex and becoming pregnant with or without a father. In some cases, these girls have no family involvment or support whatsoever. Other shows, such as "90210" and "Gossip Girls", target high school age children and younger generations with extreme sexual content. The average viewer age for these television shows is from eleven to seventeen. At this age, adolescents are developing sexual behaviors and attitudes, their actions and thoughts are easily influenced and the consequences of their actions are not thought out. They make decisions based on feelings, and this can lead to an unplanned pregnancy, a sexually transmitted disease, or both. kent2 There are not many shows that do not have some form of drug or alcohol use in the story line. “Weeds” on MTV is about a mother who sells marijuana to support her family. All the crime scene movies have some form of drug or