The Hard Facts.
Primetime Programs.
Primetime television programs such as "Friends" regularly deal with sexual topics. For instance, in one episode in last year's season of "Friends", Chandler had a problem with "getting it up", and sought advice from his best friend Joey to see how to handle the situation. Even though no anatomical parts were mentioned, it is quite obvious that Chandler had a problem getting an erection. And although this specifically was never said, half of the program dealt with his sexual dysfunction. The primetime series "Will and Grace" deals with relationships between homosexual and heterosexual people. Much of the humor from the show feeds off the character Jack, who is a homosexual. Jack is depicted as a very feminine character, a stereotypical portrayal of a homosexual. Many soap operas are known for their sexual content. In 1994, each soap opera was examined, and when combined, there was a total average of 6.6 sexual situations per episode, with no real mention for safe sex (Hyde and DeLamater, 2000). For adults and older teenagers, these programs can be quite entertaining, but for young children, these shows are really inappropriate. .
Recent studies have been conducted that provide notable statistics regarding the amount of sexual content in television. In 1996, three out of four family hour programs on the major networks contained some kind of sexual content. (Kaiser Family Foundation) That is 75% of the family hour programs! Now, some of this sexual content can be rather mild, like a couple kissing each other hello or goodbye. However, 30% of family hour programs featured scenes in which the primary emphasis revolved around sexual intercourse. These are television programs that are supposed to be suitable for family viewing, but yet nearly a third of all family hour programs consist of scenes based on intercourse. All in all, almost every primetime television program consists of some kind of sexual action or innuendo.
