RAY AND JAT
ELECTRONIC MEDIA AND CHILDREN
adolescents is exposure to sexual content in the mass
media. In India, there are reports of messaging of
sexual contents through mobiles among schoolgoing adolescents.
MEDIA AND SMOKING
Research has demonstrated a strong association
between exposure to certain mass media messages
and smoking in adolescents. For instance, more than
half of adolescent smoking initiation has been linked
to watching smoking in movies(34). Acknowledging
the effects of mass media on attitudes and behavior,
media literacy may teach youth to understand,
analyze, and evaluate advertising and other mass
media messages, enabling them to actively process
media messages rather than passively remaining
targets of mass media(35). India faced a lot of
controversy with the ban on on-screen smoking in
films and television programs. Initially, ban was
imposed from January 1, 2006 and then on January
23, 2009, Delhi High Court lifted the smoking ban in
films and TV (36). There is need for evidence based
guidelines for such issues.
Survey research results demonstrate that TV
programs watched by adolescents contains high
levels of sexual content, include little information
about sexual risks, and are an important source of
information about sex(41). Almost 75% of 15 to 17year-olds believe that sexual content on TV
influences the behavior of their peers “somewhat” or
“a lot.” Collins, et al.(42) reported that the amount of
sexual content viewed, but not hours of television
watched, was a significant one year risk factor for
sexual initiation. Ashby, et al.(43) used longitudinal
data to examine the relationships between amount of
television viewing and parental regulation of content
on sexual initiation and observed that watching
television 2 or more hours per day and lack of
parental regulation of television programming were
each associated with increased risk of initiating
sexual intercourse within a year. Peterson, et al.(44)
found that co-viewing television and discussing
television with parents were related to decreased
sexual initiation in certain adolescents.
MEDIA AND ALCOHOL DRINKING
It has been shown that exposure to alcohol
advertising and TV programming is associated with
positive beliefs about alcohol consumption(37).
Although such cross-sectional studies do not prove
causation (only association), it is of interest that in a
1990 study, 56% of students in grades 5 to 12 said
that alcohol advertising encourages them to drink.
Findings showed that girls who had watched more
hours of TV at ages 13 and 15 drank more wine and
spirits at age 18 than those who had watched fewer
hours of TV(38). One study suggested independent
associations between marijuana and alcohol use, and
media exposure. In particular, music exposure is
associated with marijuana use while movie exposure
is related to alcohol use(39).
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Given the enormous influence that media in all forms
exerts on the lives of children, it is astonishing how
little parents, researchers, and policymakers have
been spurred to action.
First, the media needs to be recognized as a major
public health issue rather than as a series of
commercial endeavors in need of regulation, as they
are among the most profound influences on children.
This intersects with many other issues that are
critically important to child health, including
violence, obesity, tobacco and alcohol use, and risky
sexual behaviors. Television and other media must
be viewed as more than sources of evil or mere idle
pleasures; their potential to enrich the lives of our
children are, in fact, enormous, and that potential
needs to be explored and actualized. Recently,
Moreno, et al.(45) reported that a brief e-mail
intervention using social networking sites shows
promise in reducing sexual references in the online
MEDIA AND RISK OF SEXUAL INITIATION
Initiation of sexual intercourse by younger
adolescents is associated with risky sexual behaviors
and increased risk of multiple partners, unwanted
pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and
pelvic inflammatory disease. In the US,
approximately 47% of high school students have had
sexual intercourse. Of them, 7.4% report having sex
before the age of 13 and 14% have had t 4 sexual
partners(40). One potential but largely unexplored
factor that may contribute to sexual activity among
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VOLUME 47__JULY 17, 2010