More References to Condoms, STDs Needed in TV Shows

From the online news service oneindia, this article predicts the results of a yet-to-be-released television content analysis by the British government, which assessed the quantity of sex scenes that discuss "safe sex" and condom use in TV programming.

The study, "entitled Mis-selling Sex, to be released by the Department of Health, will call on telly writers to include more dialogue about condoms and plot lines featuring the results of unsafe sex such as unwanted pregnancies and disease. It will also ask writers to use more slang words so that teens can connect with the dialogue.... The report was commissioned as part of the Government's 'Sex. Worth Talking About' campaign, which has also seen a major television advertising campaign urging teens to use contraception."

The study, which analysed 350 soap opera and comedy shows originating in the United Kingdom and the United States and popular with 16-24 year olds, is reported to have found that 7 percent of the sex scenes included discussions of safe sex. Of the 102 encounters of actual sex, three couples used condoms, and 13 per cent of sexual encounters where contraception was not featured dealt with any kind of consequence, such as pregnancy or contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Of the 99 instances of unsafe sex, nine characters regretted their behaviour, according to the study. Further, the study says that nearly 37 percent of youngsters turn to television for guidance on sex and relationships, and almost 50 percent of young adults say they would feel more confident about using condoms if they were discussed more openly in the media.