Question

To what extent do you agree that the degree to which children are being exposed to sexual content in the media is damaging to them? Explain in 250 words.

Answer 1

Yes I agree because early exposure to sexual content in the media may have a profound impact on children’s values, attitudes and behaviors toward sex and relationships.

With widespread access to the Internet, curious teens may accidentally or intentionally be exposed to millions of pages of material that is uncensored, sexually explicit, often inaccurate, and potentially harmful. They are exposed to sexual material in movies, television, music and other media earlier than ever.

Early exposure to sexual content may have the following undesirable effects:

Early Sex: Some study have found out that the more teens were exposed to sexual content in movies, the earlier they started having sex and the likelier they were to have casual, unprotected sex. E.g. boys who were exposed to sexually explicit media were three times more likely to engage in oral sex and intercourse two years after exposure than non-exposed boys. The same results found in young girls too.

High-Risk Sex: The earlier a child is exposed to sexual content and begins having sex, the likelier they are to engage in high-risk sex. Research shows that children who have sex by age 13 are more likely to have multiple sexual partners, engage in frequent intercourse etc.

Sex, Love, and Relationship Addictions: Early exposure to pornography is a risk factor for sex addictions and other intimacy disorders and mental health disorder.

Sexual Violence: Early exposure (by age 14) to pornography and other explicit material may increase the risk of a child becoming a victim of sexual violence or acting out sexually against another child.