I'm traveling again Thursday to UCONN to give one of the keynotes at The Northeast Media Literacy Conference. I'm excited because I'm passionate about the need for youth media (and marketing) literacy and because even though I never went to UCONN, both my parents did. While I'm breathing airplane air, I hope you will enjoy these Ypulse Guest Posts. First up is Andrea Zak. Andrea is a twenty-something who blogs about politics and society at BrazenCareerist.
What Is Media & Marketing's Role In Sex Ed?
Several weeks ago, a new study reported that 1 in 4 teenage girls has a sexual transmitted disease. Within days, a University of Washington study reviewing abstinence-only v. comprehensive sex education reported its findings:
"Students who'd had comprehensive sex education were 60 percent less likely to report a pregnancy than those without any sex education and 50 percent less likely than the abstinence-only group."
As a result of these recent studies, a group of Congresspersons requested that funding for abstinence-only education be cut because the programming was clearly not effective. (Over the last decade, the federal government invested roughly $1.5 billion in abstinence only education.)
Last week, a University of Florida study reported that some teens actually think drinking shots of bleach prevents HIV infection and that Mountain Dew and marijuana are effective contraceptives; accordingly, Florida legislators are drafting a bill to approve a more well-rounded approach sex education in schools.
A Kaiser Family Foundation study in 2000 found that two-thirds of parents "believe that sex education should encourage young people to delay sexual activity but also prepare them to use birth control and practice safe sex once they do become sexually active."
With the plethora of media available to teens, how can the entertainment and marketing industries work with public health officials to encourage responsible sexual behavior and potentially aid a decline in teen rates of STDs? It's a sensitive issue that both industries could and should help address, given the 24/7 coverage of young celebrity sexploits (Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears).
Should shows work to integrate safe sex education into their story lines? Should contraceptive and Gardisil manufacturers be working with public health officials to create advertising campaigns that tastefully address the issues? If we can use entertainment programming to sell iPods and sneakers, surely there's room to plug condoms.
Posted by anastasia
Education | Marketing
Comments
On the one hand, I'm surprised they aren't already. With ads for everything from tampons to ED cures, surely this isn't a big deal. On the other hand, I have been very uncomfortable when I'm watching a prime-time show with my under-10 children, and an ad for Viagra, or something similar comes on. It's not that they get it, it's that the ads cause me to need to answer questions that my six year old isn't mature enough to hear the answers to (I'm not embarrassed, I'm uncomfortable). Yes, I do have answers, but I am of the opinion that I shouldn't need to answer those. I'm even more concerned about those kids whose parents aren't available to answer, or provide the wrong kind of answer (too sexual, or not clear enough). It just seems a dangerous ground to be showing on TV. It may become a mute point, though, as teens are watching more on the internet anyway. At least there I have significantly more control over the ads my kids see. As far as the bigger question (sex ed), yes, I am educating my older children myself, and I'm quite comfortable with it.
Posted by: Paul Loeffler | April 11, 2008 9:19 AM