TV Biz Split Over Teen Portrayals

The non-profit Mediascope recently announced the results of a 2001-2002 study on how teen issues are portrayed on TV. The study surveyed 45 network execs, producers and writers and was conducted by researchers at Stanford University in California and Lewis & Clark College in Oregon and by independent researchers. The San Bernadino newspaper The Sun has a pretty insightful analysis of the study. Some highlights from the Associated Press:

Parent-child clashes were depicted but the conflicts tended to be seen as a "normal" part of family life and the interaction was equally likely to be cooperative.

When it comes to sex, teenagers receive a "highly inconsistent picture of what sexual relations are and can be."

"Explicit and implicit lessons ranged from 'Virginity is a sign that a boy is a loser' to 'Teens don't need to be sexually active to be cool."

The more interesting part of the study is the revelation that there are two approaches producers often debate when it comes to teen programming:

"One camp believes there's a responsibility to protect youngsters from topics or treatments they might not be able to handle or would make them or their parents uncomfortable." (i.e. 7th Heaven)

Others believe that restraint, while sometimes valuable, "usually should be trumped" by the need to "tell the whole story, to be honest and complete in reflecting social reality." (i.e. The O.C.)

Categorized under: TV

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