Cali. University Discovers Why Parents Really Should Discipline School-Kids Away from Prime Time Television's Sexuality

Uncle MythMan says ...

I got this from ArcaMax Health & Fitness:

Risky TV's Sexual Behavior May Be Modeled

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (UPI) -- For those who have not had a one-night stand, viewing this behavior on TV significantly increases expectations of having one, U.S. researchers suggest.

A study, published in the Journal of Communication, shows that people with direct experience with sex and risky sexual behavior are not influenced by its portrayal on TV. However, those without direct sexual experience are more likely to participate in the unsafe behavior in the future, regardless of the consequences displayed.

Robin L. Nabi and Shannon Clark of the University of California conducted two studies to assess whether or not televised depictions of risky sexual behaviors alter viewers' expectations of their own future sexual behaviors, regardless of the consequences.

In the first study, researchers examined the contents of TV programming and found that viewers expect main characters to ultimately survive and thrive despite the adversity they face. In the second study, college women were exposed to various portrayals of promiscuous sexual behavior, such as one-night stands, edited to display more or less positive or negative outcomes.

For those who had not previously had a one-night stand, viewing fictional depictions of this behavior significantly increased expectations of the likelihood of having one in the future, regardless of the positive or negative outcomes portrayed.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International

A Commandment to Parents: Continue Being Parental

So parents, don't let your children watch TV without your 'active guidance' (i.e. besides 'answering their questions,' take responsibility for 'whatever they could be learning from the programming!')

I suggest you become a 'vocal conscience'-viewer—one of those who pipe up, "Uh-ohhhh! You don't want to go in there! You don't want to do that! You know what's gonna happen; punishment worse than hell-fire spankings with daddy's fire-belt!" (etc).

Of course, you will also have to teach your children not to be the vocal-conscience ANYWHERE PUBLIC. There I suggest a twice/thrice-weekly 'theater trip' ... possibly telling the children to silently 'remind Daddy/Mommy to be quiet.'