Gossip Girl Causes Pregnancy?

Last Thanksgiving my 15 years old niece and sister in law insisted that we watch Gossip Girl after dinner. I thought it was a strange request but obliged in the holiday spirit.

My first impression of the show was underwhelming. A bunch of self-absorbed indulged rich kids was pretty sickening but quickly even I became addicted to this escapist show.

Now there is a study from RAND that says adolescents who watch a lot of television programs that contain sexual content are twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy compared to their peers who watch few such shows.

This study, published in the November edition of the journal Pediatrics, is the first to establish a link between teenagers’ exposure to sexual content on TV and pregnancies among girls as well as boys responsible for pregnancies.

So what does this mean? Are shows like Gossip Girl causing pregnancy? Did I escape teen pregnancy because my parents wouldn’t let me watch Three’s Company?

Let’s be honest. Raging hormones cause teen pregnancy. The only way to combat hormones is with our heads that tell us the consequences of acting upon urges. That is where the influences of television may come in. There are simply little or no consequences portrayed. Rarely is pregnancy or STDs shown on television.

Here are the facts. One of 4 teenagers will acquire a sexually transmitted disease as reported by the CDC in March of 2008. That is 3.2 million girls per year. Teen pregnancy increased for the first time since 1991 with 1/3 of teenage girls becoming pregnant before age 20.

What should we do as parents?

Don’t forbid your kids from watching these show rather watch with them. This is a great opportunity to discuss the consequences of sexual activity. For instance, “How many diseases do you think Chuck Bass is silently carrying?” “How would Blair be able to shop (or even fit) into designer clothes with a toddler in tow?”

Many parents that I talk with don’t want to talk at all about sex except maybe a one time “don’t do it.” It is really a continuous dialogue that should start in grade school. Kids don’t get their license until they are 16, which gives  hours of driving time to bring up these topics.

 

The kids that are left alone with televisions as their sole babysitter are the ones that are more likely to stay in the media fantasy world. Television is not the only media.  Gossip Girl and Desperate housewives are among the top downloaded shows. Kids can watch on their ipods or on the Internet almost 24/7 so monitor how much they are watching.

 

Finally, keep your child busy with sports, community service and employment in addition to school. They will be less likely to be involved in the imaginary world of sex and media and have more purpose and meaning to their own lives.

 

Talk and talk and talk,

Be there to answers you’re your kids questions!

Dr. Deb