Barrie Gunter

Is there too much sex on TV? When are graphic sexual scenes in film appropriate and when are they gratuitous or pornographic? Is pornography destructive? All of these questions speak to an underlying concern that explicit depictions of sexual relations in media can be harmful. Debates about these questions become especially charged when they are asked with young audiences in mind. The controversies reveal various ways we think about sexual issues like conceptions of virginity, sex with or without love, frequent sex, and gender relations. In this excerpt from his book, Media Sex: What Are the Issues", Barrie Gunter summarizes much of the recent research about possible effects of media sex on teenagers.

Social scientists have long attempted to determine the influence of repeated exposure to sex in television shows, music videos, and movies. Although most studies are...