by Veronica Bergschneider

Created on: October 06, 2009

The problem does nor appear to be the quantity of sex on television. Rather, the situations in which it is used and perhaps the time slots in which such situations air should cause more concern.

Sexual situations and innuendo, used in the correct context, can enlighten a television viewer. On news oriented programs, concerned citizens can learn of sexual crime and misconduct. In the case of child pornography or pedophilia, this can lead the citizenry into action against such actions by way of convincing local governments to enact new laws against the actions or to at least keep their own children safer. Some parents use these programs as warning with elementary age and older children of what types of people to avoid and the schemes the predators will use to lure the youngsters from their homes.

Shows featuring anything from teen sex to married sex can also be used for teaching tools. For example, watching a program with a youngster who is able to follow the story and understand why the teen girl got pregnant or caught a sexually transmitted disease on her first time can prove quite educational on the topic of why sex is better saved for adult relationships in which birth control is discussed and used responsibly. Watching such scenes and contrasting them with the love shown behind people who use sex as the expression of that love for each other also demonstrates for a viewer of any age why it's smart to hold off on having sex before intellectual maturity sets in. The key to using these teaching tools is to be sure to have an open, honest dialogue with the person being taught the lessons, and to be sure the lesson does not end there but that future questions may also be asked.

The difficulty with sexual situations and innuendo on television happens when young children not ready for such lessons do not receive proper supervision while watching. Especially in households where parents may be ashamed to talk about sex, the children will eventually go to peers and other sources who do not have the answers they need. This leads into the youngsters making less informed decisions as they reach their preteen and teen years, and the ones with less information are the ones more likely to carry on having teen sex and spreading the sexual infections and young parenthood for which they are not prepared.

For those adults in relationships where sex is a normal and natural part of how the feel toward each other, sex on television can have several positive effects. First and foremost, seeing different situations can help a couple decide to try having sex in a new position or location to spice up their own relationship. This can bring passion back to an otherwise dull relationship and rekindle something the partners may have feared losing. Watching others in the sexual situations can also make the viewers become aroused for one another in ways they had not thought possible. It can also at the very least get them talking about different things they'd like to try or perhaps what scares them or otherwise turns them off in hopes that the partner will listen and both can find more fulfillment in the sexual aspect of their own relationship.

Thus, sexual situations and innuendo on television do not always harm the viewer. Many times, these items can actually serve the greater good of society by helping teach lessons and even stabilizing certain aspects of some relationships. The importance lies in using these situations responsibly in order for them to be useful to those who see them.

Learn more about this author, Veronica Bergschneider.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.