Pitt study: Music can lead to teens having sex

‘ ‘ ‘ Teenagers who listen to music with sexually degrading lyrics might be more likely to have… ‘ ‘ ‘ Teenagers who listen to music with sexually degrading lyrics might be more likely to have sex, a Pitt study reported. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ A random sample of 711 teenagers responded to questions regarding sexual experience and music listening habits. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Of participants who listened to sexually degrading music regularly, 44.6 percent reported sexual activity, compared to the 20.6 percent of infrequent listeners who reported sexual activity. Listening to music with lyrics describing non-degrading sex was not associated with a greater likelihood of sexual behavior. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The study defined degrading sex as sex that is based on physical attraction and presents one partner as being superior to the other. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ It defined regular listeners as those who averaged more than 17 hours per week and infrequent listeners as those who listened to less than 2.7 hours. Overall, participants averaged 14.7 hours per week of exposure to music with sexually degrading lyrics, nearly half of the total music listened to. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ This association does not prove a causal relationship between listening to music with sexually degrading lyrics and teen sexual behavior, said’ Brian Primack,’ the study’s lead researcher. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But Primack said the information might reveal something about society. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We live in a media-driven world,’ he said. ‘Teaching young people how to realize and evaluate these messages all around them is a valuable and empowering thing we can do.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ To suggest media messages are the sole cause of teen sexual activity ‘mdash; or any other behavior ‘mdash; is absurd, said Primack. And the extent of causation is nearly impossible to discern. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘You can’t randomize 1,000 kids and expose half of them to degrading lyrics for the next 10 years,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Nevertheless, he said he hopes that if teenagers are aware of the media’s influence, they can modify their behaviors. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s of deep concern that [music listening] habits are linked with those medical outcomes we’re treating in the emergency rooms,’ said Primack. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Nearly one-fourth of female adolescents in the United States have sexually transmitted infections, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2003-4. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ More than 750,000 American teens become pregnant each year, one of the highest rates among developed countries. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Primack’s research is similar to the research that has been done on violent video games. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ He said he’s not interested in censorship, nor does he believe it will help. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Primack added that there are still people who argue there is no definitive proof that smoking causes cancer, because there has never been a controlled study. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘That’s what MTV is going to say [about sex and music],’ said Primack. ‘And you really can’t argue.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ When it comes to society and behavior, repeated studies are important to see if different results pop up, said Primack. Longitudinal data is helpful. Skepticism is good. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Given the correlation between sexual activity and sexually degrading lyrics, education is important, said Primack. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s the idea of media literacy,’ he said.