Moral Decline

A controversial new study reveals that pregnancy rates are much higher among teenagers who watch a lot of television with sexual dialogue and behavior than among those who don't.

Some of the shows that the study asked teenagers about include "Sex and the City", "That '70s Show" and "Friends".

The study, published in "Pediatrics", is based on interviews with teens over a three year period.

WebMD is reporting that according to the study, teens who watched the most sexual content (90th percentile) on television were twice as likely to experience a pregnancy in the three year period as those who watched the least sexual content (10th percentile).

The researchers said this about their findings: "Given the high rates of teen pregnancy in the United States, our findings argue for continued evaluation of television's role in teen pregnancy and for prevention strategies that factor in the role of portrayals of sexuality on television and in other media."

But seriously.....will watching television and movies with highly sexual content really lead to more teenagers having sex?

Can't our teens distinguish between fantasy and reality?

Or does fantasy become reality when our teens start to imitate their heroes?

Proverbs 23:7 says this about mankind - "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he".

So according to the Scriptures, what we constantly think about is what we are likely to become.

If our thoughts are filled with sex and sexual things, then we are inevitably going to drift towards those things.

Instead of filling our minds with programs that discuss never ending sexual immorality, the Bible tells us to think about those things that are good and pure. This is what the Scriptures say in Philippians 4:8 -

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

So instead of letting our teenagers watch thousands of hours of primetime television and R rated movies, perhaps we should be seeking to help them fill their minds with more positive things.

But I am certain many readers of this blog will disagree with us.

If you do disagree, please feel free to leave a comment explaining why.