Grappling With Teen Sex

Teenagers having sex is nothing new in television, dating back to the title characters of “James at 16” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” who shared losing their virginity with rapt prime-time audiences.

Yet with the high percentage of sexually active teens heightening sensitivity about what children glean from watching TV--and teenagers increasingly playing central roles in prime-time series--how television can responsibly deal with the subject has arisen with renewed vigor.

Several series have chosen to grapple with the matter head-on this season, going beyond gauzy images and crashing waves to tackle thorny questions like birth control, condom usage or waiting to have sex.

Both teen pregnancy and birth control surface in Sunday’s installment of the Fox comedy “That ‘70s Show.” The character of Jackie (Mila Kunis) worries she is pregnant, while still-chaste Donna (Laura Prepon) decides to go on the pill as a precaution--a decision that explodes comically when her father (Don Stark) inadvertently picks up her prescription.

Other programs--including “Moesha,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “7th Heaven”--have all explored whether teenage characters are ready for sex. A high school student also came to grips with being gay in a two-part “Dawson’s Creek” that concluded this week.

“Felicity” weighed in when the program’s 18-year-old namesake decided to lose her virginity, asking her boyfriend to take an HIV test and receiving a graphic demonstration in how to use a condom from a college counselor. She eventually changed her mind, but producers say the character will have sex in an upcoming episode.

Despite these examples, a major study recently unveiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation suggested that television isn’t doing enough to educate teens when it comes to sexual responsibility. Researchers concluded that only 9% of scenes--and less than one in five involving teens--contained references to “safer sex,” waiting to have sex, or potential consequences such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

The nonprofit Kaiser health organization emphasized that ridding TV of sex isn’t a realistic goal; instead, representatives hope the medium can serve as an educational tool for reaching teens and children.

“It can be a great way [to] educate young people, and a way they’re very receptive to,” said Vicky Rideout, director of Kaiser’s program on entertainment media and public health, in presenting the findings. Television, she said, offers “a tremendous opportunity . . . to help normalize safer sex behaviors.”

Kaiser wants to engage the entertainment industry in a dialogue to make producers and executives more aware of sexual health issues. Reaction appears mixed, with some remaining wary of past criticism from advocacy groups as well as attempts to impart messages within shows.

“I’m conscious of it, but I have a hard time believing a lot of lessons are learned on television,” said Mark Brazill, an executive producer of “That ‘70s Show.” “I don’t buy that. . . . I think it’s entertainment.”

In addition, executives point out that responsible sex won’t please those who argue that children should be taught abstinence only, and who resent kids potentially encountering such material even in programs aimed at an older audience.

The Parents Television Council, which has lobbied to reinstate more traditional values in programming, doesn’t wholly object to discussions of sex but considers numerous situations currently shown to be inappropriate--especially those broadcast during the first hour of prime time, when more children might be watching.

“In many of these shows, they seem to glamorize sexual conquest without any of the consequences,” said executive director Mark Honig.

Kaiser surveys find parents to be at least as concerned about televised sex their children see as violence. Three-quarters of teens also said in one study that TV contributes to young people having sex by making it seem like normal behavior.

Still, the same survey indicated that more than a third of parents think TV can help lead children to make responsible decisions regarding sex, and that many teens learn about pregnancy and birth control from watching TV or movies.

J.J. Abrams, an executive producer of “Felicity,” glimpsed how influential TV can be after an episode dealing with date rape prompted thousands of calls to a hotline number.

“That sort of tells you that people are impacted by what they see,” he said. “It’s irresponsible to believe that what you are doing doesn’t have an impact. I would rather err on the side of responsibility and deal with truth and consequences.”

Abrams--who wrestled a bit with WB officials before they allowed the condom scene--contends that the best policy is to respect the audience by treating stories honestly; however, he acknowledged that it can be a juggling act to try to balance being responsible with producing scenarios that don’t feel contrived.

“The moment at which a condom would come out is usually an off-camera moment,” he noted. “What’s hard is to have a condom pulled out of a drawer and not feel like a ‘message’ moment.”

Because WB airs so many teen-oriented shows, the network has labored to familiarize producers with groups that can serve as sources of information on handling teens and sex. Susanne Daniels, the WB’s president of entertainment, said producers have been very responsive to such input.

“I certainly think we have a responsibility in this area,” she said, stressing that in terms of sex, most characters in WB shows are more prone to talk than action.

“The teenagers are the first to admit that they are obsessed with sex, which is why [the issue keeps coming up],” Daniels added. “But that doesn’t mean producers can’t approach this in a responsible manner.”

“That ‘70s Show” has run afoul of some critics on another front for its implied depictions of youths smoking marijuana, a complaint Fox tried to deflect by saying the program takes a whimsical look back at cultural mores of two decades ago.

As for Sunday, Brazill said the only “message” the episode conveys is that “your life gets screwed up if you get pregnant when you’re 16 or 17.” Beyond that, he expressed a common TV industry sentiment--namely, the task of delivering messages should ultimately fall upon parents, not television.

“All it really does is open up a debate,” he said. “I can’t imagine anybody gets an answer off TV. If they do, someone needs to be watching their kids better.”

* “That ‘70s Show” airs at 8:30 p.m. Sunday on Fox. The episode has been rated TV-14, with advisories for sexual content, language and dialogue.