CHICAGO – A study released Aug. 7 by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that teens who listen to music with explicitly sexual lyrics are more likely to begin having sex sooner than those who don’t.
The telephone survey of 1,461 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 showed that 51 percent of those who listened to sexually charged music on a regular basis were almost twice as likely to have intercourse at an early age. How the sex is portrayed in hip-hop and rock songs is the basis for the research.
Researchers focused their results on the fact that the lyrics portrayed women as sex objects and taught men to be aggressive and demanding with their sexuality.
Perspectives on the matter differ, and according to various psychologists, the intensity of the numerous sexually explicit songs present in today’s music can have a negative effect on the developing psyche of a teenager.
Officials representing the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network disagree saying the music simply reflects the culture and reality in which we live and believe that there are other factors that cause teens to be sexually active at an early age.
