In March, the Parents Television Council analyzed 14 hours of daytime music video programming on BET and MTV and discovered explicit content (e.g., sex, language, and violence) occurred once every 38 seconds (95.8 per hour). It is 7.5 times greater than the rate of explicit content on prime time television’s Family Hour (i.e., once every 4.8 minutes).
Explicit Content on BET and MTV
- 48% sex
>> once every 90 seconds - 37% explicit language
>> once every 1.7 minutes - 10% violence
>> once every 6.3 minutes - 9% drugs use/sales
- 3% other illegal activity
The full study also includes a similar December 2007 analysis. Most agree that exposure to such content has negative effects on youth. It certainly influences teen culture.
But what do you think? Particularly if you a youth pastor, how are music videos affecting the generation you are trying to reach? How do you think music videos have affected the MTV Generation’s transition into adulthood?
[via Baptist Press]
Tell me about it…..
I run WotUThink and we aim to let people know of these dangers but its hard when most of the stuff has the questionable content.
I can’t find the quote but at some point the CEO of MTV claimed to have more influence no kids than their parents do.
Completely NOT surprising. What worries me is the number of parents that believe that this immersion has no effect on their children. As an example, we have friends who are very liberal with what their 8 year old and 5 year old are allowed to watch (much more liberal than my wife and I are with our 10 and 6 yr olds). You can see the impact in their behavior, speech and focus. The youngest has an unhealthy sexual curiosity that I can only attribute to overstimulation from the messages he’s seeing on TV.
If you’re not careful with and worried about what your kids are exposed to, you should be. To use a phrase from classic horror movies:
“Be afraid, be very afraid”
[...] is full of questionable content. Is anyone [...]
[...] careful what music you’re listening to. Studies have shown that explicit content shows up on MTV once every 38 seconds. If the music videos are showing it, [...]