TV Seldom Depicts Sex Risks, Study Says

A study of television has concluded that although two-thirds of prime time programs contain sexual content, less than one in 10 feature references to the “possible risks or responsibilities” associated with sexual activity.

Conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the study did find that discussions of topics such as contraception, abstinence or “safer sex” were nearly twice as likely when sexual content involved teenage characters, but still occurred in less than a fifth of those situationxs.

Representatives for the foundation--a nonprofit health group based in Menlo Park, Calif.--said they hope to constructively engage the entertainment industry, inspiring producers to do a better job providing such messages. Television, they said, represents a major source of information about sexuality for teenagers and children.

“Whether they mean to or not, TV shows are communicating important messages about sex to their viewers,” said Vicky Rideout, director of the foundation’s program on the entertainment media and public health. “It can be a great way to educate young people, and a way that they’re very receptive to.”

Researchers observed that none of the 88 scenes depicting intercourse, which accounted for just 7% of the programs viewed, addressed safe sex issues.

The study did find that dramatic series were more responsible than comedies in this regard, mentioning risks and responsibilities of sex nearly a quarter of the time. By contrast, only 3% of comedies incorporated such references.

“It’s very clear . . . that television isn’t doing nearly enough to seize its opportunities to entertain and do good at the same time,” said Kaiser foundation President Drew Altman.

The survey purports to be the most comprehensive of its kind and will be repeated every two years. Analysis focused on entertainment programs, excluding news, sports and children’s fare.

The results were presented as part of a daylong seminar that also included discussion of the issue involving producers and network executives, some of whom expressed skepticism about efforts to place a burden on television programs to consciously tackle such issues.

“I think producers’ primary responsibility is to entertain,” said Dick Wolf, executive producer of NBC’s “Law & Order.” “I’m really troubled by the idea that we’re supposed to send a message.”

Most executives agreed that the key was for programs to provide balance. WB network chief executive Jamie Kellner, whose network airs such popular teen-oriented shows as “Dawson’s Creek” and “Felicity,” added that while he sees great potential for television to do good in terms of sex education, portions of the audience don’t want TV to explore such territory.

“There are still many people out there who believe the less said the better,” he said, citing a recent “Felicity” that featured a demonstration of how to use a condom. “We’re not in the business of offending people who probably wish we weren’t giving out that kind of information over our network.”

UC Santa Barbara professor Dale Kunkel oversaw the survey, which monitored more than 1,300 programs on the networks and cable channels. He also defended the inclusion of flirting and talk about sex as sexual content, saying that such scenes often convey important messages to children.

Television industry officials responded negatively to a similar survey in 1996, and Kunkel said an effort was made this time to count only those sexual situations central to a scene. Kaiser’s Altman stressed that his group’s goal was not to strip TV of sex but encourage more responsible handling of the subject.

Despite the debate about violence on television and the V-chip, a device that would allow viewers to screen out violent fare, recent surveys have shown parents to be at least as concerned about the sexual content their children see on TV.