Teens who listen to raunchy songs have sex earlier
Pastor Dale Morgan
Study says teens who listen to raunchy songs have sex earlier*
Shehani Fernando and Associated Press in Chicago
Tuesday August 8, 2006
The Guardian
Teenagers who listen to songs with raunchy lyrics start having sex
earlier than those who listen to other types of music, according to a
new study in the US.
Young people who listen to music with "sexually degrading" lyrics that
describe women as sex objects and portray men as "sex-driven studs" were
almost twice as likely to start being sexually active within the next
two years than teens who listened to little or no sexually degrading
music, according to a study by the Rand Corporation, a Pittsburgh-based
thinktank.
Article continues
Researchers carried out telephone interviews with 1,461 adolescents
between the ages of 12 and 17, most of whom were virgins when the study
began in 2001. They were questioned about their sexual behaviour and how
often they listened to music. Follow up interviews were carried out in
2002 and 2005. Their listening habits and an analysis of the lyrics'
content were measured to determine the extent to which they were exposed
to such music.
Lead author Steve Martino said: "Musicians who use this type of sexual
imagery are communicating something very specific about what sexual
roles are appropriate, and teen listeners may act on these messages." He
argued young people may be "less thoughtful" about decisions they make
in relation to sex which could impact on future relationships and that
boys learn they should be relentless in pursuit of women and girls learn
to view themselves as sex objects.
"It may be that girls who are repeatedly exposed to these messages
expect to take a submissive role in their sexual relationships and to be
treated with disrespect by their partners," he said.
Some 750,000 teenagers in the US become pregnant each year and
approximately 4 million contract sexually transmitted diseases.
Yvonne K Fulbright, a New York-based sex researcher and author, points
to other factors such as peer pressure, self-esteem and the child's home
environment. "It's a little dangerous to just pinpoint one thing. You
have to look at everything that's going on in a young person's life."
But, she added: "A healthy home atmosphere is one that allows a child to
investigate what pop culture has to offer and at the same time say, 'I
know this is a fun song but you know that it's not right to treat women
this way or this isn't a good person to have as a role model.'"
Similarly, Ben Chavis, chief executive of the Hip-Hop Summit Action
Network, said: "We caution rushing to judgment that music more than any
other factor is a causative factor" in relation to teens initiating sex.
The study's findings are published in this month's issue of the American
journal Paediatrics.