Teens (and their parents) are tired of seeing sex on television

It was a rare Saturday night that my 14-year-old daughter and I found ourselves with some free time to watch a TV show together while the other members of our family were occupied with other activities.

We settled on “Brooklyn 99,” a comedy set in a police precinct starring Andy Samberg. I’ve watched it before and laughed hysterically throughout several seasons, but my daughter had not seen it. We turned on the first episode of the first season.

I was amused at “finally” being able to watch a funny TV show with my daughter, as family TV time usually revolves around animated movies that are more appropriate for the younger ones in our family.

But I became quickly and painfully aware that the content was still too adult for my daughter to watch – even though it was rated TV-14 – given the show’s penchant for using sexually-charged dialogue.

I know I’m not the only parent who is uncomfortable with their teens watching certain kinds of adult content. Entertainment has changed dramatically, and it has become even harder to find programs and movies that don’t sneak in foul language or sexually charged dialogue.

So I was glad to see results of a new study

by University of California, Los Angeles’ Center for Scholars & Storytellers finding that teens are tired of seeing sex scenes on TV and in movies.

According to Variety,

“Researchers found that 63.5% of adolescents said they preferred that big and small screen stories focus on friendships, while 62.4% said sexual content isn’t needed as a plot device. Those are big jumps from the previous year when 51.5% of those surveyed said they wanted more content about people in platonic relationships, and 47.5% said that they didn’t seek out shows or movies where sex was a major plot point.

The younger generations are clearly seeking more out of their entertainment. As a parent, I’m encouraged to hear this.

As the University of California study reported, “Between the ages of 10-24, young people begin to develop their values, and exposure to media content has a clear influence on how they perceive both themselves and the world around them. When romance is a central part of every plot, it can be easy for teens to feel undue pressure to date and mirror behaviors on screen, which aren’t always the healthiest. Media often romanticizes abusive behaviors and sets unrealistic expectations around sex and partnership.”

I spoke with Melissa Henson, vice president, Parents Television and Media Council, about the implications of this study.

“Hollywood must think twice about including sex scenes in entertainment given that younger generations have indicated they don’t want to see this. The entertainment industry is guilty of focusing on sex to sell younger viewers on programs like ‘Euphoria’ and ‘Sex Education.’ This has to change,” she said.

Let’s hope Hollywood hears this message.

Kelly Oliver is a public relations consultant for the Parents Television and Media Council and mother of three.