From Skins to Gossip Girl, a Comparative Look at Teen Media in The United States and the U.K.

In Eyal and Kunkel’s (2008) study examining the effects of moral judgment felt by teenagers after viewing positive and negative sex scenes in teen media, their findings indicate the strength that negative outcomes of sex can have on viewers’ perceptions of characters. Teens who viewed two episodes that showed a negative outcome after premarital sex were slightly more likely than before to view premarital sex as immoral, as well as question the morality of the characters involved.  It’s Eyal and Kunkel who also tried to link this influx of sexual content, specifically in content directed to teens, as a possible contributing factor to why the United States has one of the highest (If not the highest) rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (2008).

                I can always believe in the idea that there is too much sex on television, and that in some sense, this contributes to a caustic media diet for teens and adolescents who may not have the cognitive level needed to understand the varied implications of sex. However, I also always wonder what else is there that may be contributing to the alarming rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Centers for concerned parents are quick to find shows that they think are far too sexual for teens, often contributing to the show censoring some aspects of its content, or even removing content all together. But is that enough? Is getting the teens away from sexy material actually going to change anything?

            Take for example one of the shows that seems to get a lot of attention from concerned parents over its blatant displays of sexuality, Gossip Girl. When Gossip Girl premiered during 2007, some of these parents wrote op-eds that were published in major papers warning others with young kids to avoid the show at all costs. So much was said that the producers of the show decided to take quotes from the article and place them on their ads as a tongue-in-check selling point.

(image from gawker.com)

Knowing what I do of the show, I can certainly see how many of the scenarios depicted might fall under the category of positive consequences of sex. The two leads in the show, Serena and Blair, have many partners through the six seasons this show aired. As Ward stated in her content analysis examining the context of sex on television, little is often said about healthy sexual habits such as contraception (2003), and Gossip Girl is certainly no exception. One of the only instances where I can remember any true instance of a possible negative consequence of risky sex happens early in the series, when Blair has a brief pregnancy scare.

                                   It’s clear that Gossip Girl may have some questionable aspects as far as sex and teen viewers go, and there exist quite a few studies linking teens’ and adolescents’ exposure to sex to their attitudes about sex. What always strikes me is where these attitudes lead to actual behaviors and how directly the link can be drawn between watching sex and viewing sex.

                                   For instance, in the same year that Gossip Girl aired in America to multiple complaints and controversies, Skins, a popular British teen show also premiered. Skins follows a group of six teens who actively take drugs, have sex, smoke, and do just about everything you probably wouldn't want your parents to know about. Skins is like a hyper-drive version of Gossip Girl in many ways, and what’s more, unlike Gossip Girl, most of the actors who played lead roles in the show were still teens themselves. Negative consequences tend to be seldom, with many characters often benefiting from having sex for the first time with the person they want to date or seeing sex as a positive turning point in their lives.

                                   Shows with this level of sexuality tend to be more common in British media, and while the U.K. does have a high rate of teen pregnancy as well, it’s still significantly lower than that in America. What’s more, most shows in Europe tend to be a little lax as far as controlling for sexuality in their television, and they fall far behind America in rates of STDs and unwanted pregnancies.

                                   The fact that there is a difference between our comparatively low-key sexua lmedia and our high rates of problems stemming from teens and adolescents engaging in unsafe sex has always struck me, and has lead me to believe that there must be something else there. I don’t doubt the role that media plays when it comes to the choices young viewers decide to take in their lives, but also must question what else is there that is seemingly giving them the final push to decide to make decisions that may have unfortunate results.

Work Cited:

Eyal, K., & Kunkel, D. (2008). The effects of sex in television drama shows on emerging adults' sexual attitudes and moral judgments.pdf. Journal of Broadcasting and Electric Medi,52(2), 161-181.
Ward, L. (2003). Understanding The Role Of Entertainment Media In The Sexual Socialization Of American Youth: A Review Of Empirical Research. Developmental Review, 347-388.