RAUNCHY TV

“We were watching ‘Family Guy’ and some of the jokes just went whoosh!” Daniel

When 11-year-old Daniel sits down with his mom and older brother
to watch TV, he’s not always in on the jokes.

“Like we were watching ‘Family Guy,'” Daniel says, “and some
of the jokes just went whoosh!”

Often those jokes, in prime time, involve sexual humor. Jokes
that may get a laugh from parents, but leave kids feeling left out.

Psychologist Nadine Kaslow says, “Absolutely, there’s more sexual
humor and off-color comedy on TV today.”

Just how much more has recently been quantified by the Parents
television Council, a media watchdog group. In the past ten years, profanity
and sexual content on prime time TV have more than tripled.

Experts say when kids see parents laugh at some of that sexual
humor, and then ask what the joke is, it’s best to give a straight answer.

“I think we communicate something pretty bad to our kids,” Nadine
Kaslow says, “if they ask us to explain something to them and we won’t do it.”

Kaslow says it’s also wise to explain to children that sometimes
what’s funny on TV, may not be funny in the real world.

“Sometimes things that aren’t really nice can still be kind
of funny,” Kaslow says, “and talk to them about humor.”

Daniel’s mother, Wendy Amerson, says sometimes her kids are
their own best censors. She says when a recent TV show mentioned ‘herpes,’ their
curiosity quickly faded.

“Once I started explaining it,” Amerson says, “they started
going, ‘Uh, that’s enough, you know, too much information.'”

Statistics Show…

Profanity and sexual content are more frequent in prime time
television. Average instances per hour of programming are:

What You Should Know

Studies reveal that there is an abundance of sexual content on
television shows that air during the early evening hours, often termed the “family
hour,” a time is particularly popular with young children. Although more research
needs to be done to understand how children are affected by the sexual content
on television, focus groups report that children appear to be picking up the
sexual information presented to them on television – taking away confused messages
when programs send mixed signals and clearer messages when shows offer a more
straightforward perspective. Children appear to appreciate the positive, responsible
messages some shows offer them.

With this concern, the passage of legislation requiring television
sets to include a “v-chip” so parents can block unwanted content has emerged.
Also, an agreement by the television industry to develop a system for rating
television programs regarding their sexual and violent content: new rules requiring
TV stations to provide a minimum of three hours a week of educational TV for
kids: and efforts to persuade television programmers to reserve the first hour
of prime time for shows that are suitable for all ages – the return of “family
hour.”.

Source: Children Now and Kaiser Family Foundations