The sexual behaviors of youth and young adults are increasingly shaped by a complex interplay of influences. Among the most powerful of these are various forms of media, including television, movies, music, and social media outlets, which often portray sexual content in ways that normalize or glamorize certain behaviors. These portrayals can create distorted perceptions of relationships, consent, and sexual norms. In addition to media exposure, substance use plays a significant role in influencing sexual decision-making, often lowering inhibitions and impairing judgment, thereby increasing the likelihood of risky sexual behaviors. Moreover, the pervasive issue of sexual assault introduces a further dimension of complexity, affecting not only the immediate well-being of victims but also their long-term perceptions and experiences of sexuality. Together, these factors contribute to a cultural environment in which young individuals are exposed to mixed messages and pressures surrounding sex, often before they are equipped with the critical thinking skills or support systems to navigate them responsibly. Understanding how these factors interact is crucial to promoting healthy sexual development and informed choices among youth and young adults.
Media exposure, including television shows, movies, and music, has a strong impact on shaping the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to sex and relationships, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Sexting, the practice of sending explicit photographs or messages via mobile phone, and social media are also major influencers of sexual behaviors among this population. “Research details that exposure to non-explicit sexual media is associated with both sexual attitudes and behaviors, particularly during adolescence. With the fast growth of technology and the internet, more individuals have access to sexualized content across various forms of media. Sexually explicit material or pornography — content that depicts or describes sexual acts, nudity, or other sexual themes in a graphic and detailed manner — has become widely accessible, especially on the internet. Major findings concerning the nature and impact of sexual content in mainstream entertainment media indicate that sexual content is prevalent in mainstream media, appearing in approximately 85 percent of films and 82 percent of television programs. Sexual imagery is also prevalent in music videos, where the most frequent portrayals are of sexual and suggestive dance, sexual objectification, and self-touching. This trend also extends to video games, where women are underrepresented, and, when present, are much more likely than men to be shown with a sexualized appearance or in sexually revealing clothing.
Sexualized media content has been shown to directly influence adolescents and young adults by shaping their perceptions of normative sexual behavior, increasing permissive attitudes toward sex. Dating violence (DV) is a form of domestic violence that occurs within a dating relationship by one partner against the other. It can manifest as physical assault, sexual coercion, controlling behaviors, or emotional manipulation. Sexual violence (SV) is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act using coercion or force, regardless of the perpetrator’s relationship to the victim, in any setting. According to research conducted by Rodenhizer and Edwards, “Dating violence (DV) and sexual violence (SV) are widespread problems among adolescents and emerging adults.” Their findings suggest that exposure to sexually explicit media (SEM) and sexually violent media (SVM) is positively related to DV and SV myths and more accepting attitudes toward domestic violence and sexual violence. They also found that exposure to sexually explicit media and sexually violent media is positively related to actual and anticipated domestic violence and sexual violence victimization, perpetration, and bystander nonintervention. Their research also detailed that sexually explicit media and sexually violent media more strongly impact men’s domestic violence and sexual violence attitudes and behaviors than women’s domestic violence and sexual violence attitudes and behaviors. Rodenhizer and Edwards also found that preexisting attitudes related to domestic violence and sexual violence, and media references moderate the relationship between sexually explicit media and sexually violent media exposure and attitudes and behaviors related to domestic violence and sexual violence. Social learning theory, a psychological theory, suggests that individuals, particularly adolescents, learn behaviors through the observation and imitation of others. Within the U.S. media, the frequent sexualization of characters, music lyrics, entertainers, and scenarios serves as a powerful model that can reinforce and normalize sexualized behaviors and attitudes among viewers. Research describes how, in sexuality research, social learning theory is used to explain how adolescents may observe sexual content in the media and then model their own behavior after that content.
Substance use — the act of consuming any legal or illegal harmful substances including alcohol, drugs, nicotine, cannabis, or prescription medications — among adolescents and young adults is a growing concern, particularly because of its significant impact on decision-making and risk-taking behaviors, including those related to sex. Researchers define risky sexual behaviors as “any behavior that increases one’s likelihood of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including having unprotected intercourse, having multiple sexual partners, and having intercourse with an intravenous drug user (IVDU).” They also define substance use as “the global or frequency of alcohol use and prescription drug abuse, as well as the use of illicit substances such as marijuana, cocaine, opiates, and ecstasy.” Substance use influences the sexual thoughts and behaviors of adolescents and young adults by impairing judgment, lowering inhibitions, and heightening impulsivity, which collectively increases the likelihood of engaging in unprotected sex, having multiple sexual partners, and other high-risk sexual behaviors. Yan, Chiu, Stoesen, and Wang describe how substance use prior to sexual activity has been commonly shown to increase the likelihood of unsafe sexual intercourse. Tucker, Ryan, Golinelli, et al. detail how, relative to their non-substance-using peers, adolescents who regularly abuse substances are more likely to have unprotected sex. Engaging in unprotected sex significantly increases the risk of negative sexual health outcomes, particularly STIs. Research has found that substance use has been associated with an increased risk of STIs. Sexually transmitted infections can have serious negative health effects on adolescents and young adults, including chronic pelvic pain, infertility, increased susceptibility to HIV, and long-term reproductive complications. These negative sexual health effects are often worsened by delayed diagnosis and limited access to healthcare. Allan-Blitz and Klausner detail that untreated N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis, T. Pallidum, or herpes simplex virus infection can result in female infertility, stillbirth, premature birth, and low birth weight. As many as 10 percent of HIV infections among men who have sex with men in the U.S. have been attributed to either N. gonorrhoeae or C. trachomatis infection. Sexually transmitted infections pose a higher risk for long-term negative health effects, which not only compromise individual well-being but also result in substantial financial burdens for both affected individuals and the U.S. healthcare system due to ongoing treatment, medical complications, and public health interventions. Their research also detailed that, in one year, N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis, T. Pallidum, and herpes infections resulted in millions of dollars in lifetime medical costs, particularly detailing that STI-attributable infertility alone resulted in more than $135 million in direct medical costs.
Survivors of sexual assault, the act of someone either touching another person in a sexual manner without consent or making another person touch them in a sexual manner without consent, particularly adolescents and young adults, may experience a wide range of behavioral outcomes. Some may withdraw from sexual activity entirely, while others may engage in high-risk sexual behaviors. Alarming numbers of U.S. adolescents have experienced sexual violence, with 26.6 percent of 17-year-old girls and 5.1 percent of 17-year-old boys reporting having experienced sexual abuse. Research shows that young adults are at high risk for sexual harassment and sexual assault. Reported sexual harassment (32.7 percent) and reported sexual assault (24.6 percent) during early adulthood were similar for respondents who reported having ever enrolled in college and for respondents who reported never attending college. As previously mentioned, media and substance use play large roles in adolescents and young adults engaging in risky sexual behaviors, which ultimately increases their chances of contracting sexually transmitted infections. Homma, Wang, Saewyc, and Kishor describe how a history of childhood or adolescent sexual abuse is associated with unprotected sexual intercourse, multiple sexual partners, early sexual initiation, teen pregnancy involvement, and exchange of sex for money or drugs. Adolescent and young adult survivors of sexual assault are at significantly higher risk of engaging in substance use and risky sexual behaviors, often as a result of trauma-related coping mechanisms, impaired self-worth, and disrupted psychosocial development. To alleviate their suffering from the traumatic experiences and to enhance self-esteem, those with a history of childhood or adolescent sexual abuse may use substances as a coping strategy. Sexually abused individuals addicted to substances may exchange sex for money or drugs to support their drug dependence. Research also details that the neurobiological dysregulation from sexual abuse and its effects on psychosocial and cognitive development can lead to risky sexual behaviors. A sense of powerlessness and low self-esteem created by the abuse experience, and low assertiveness associated with depression, can affect one’s ability to negotiate contraceptive or protective barrier use and to form and maintain secure interpersonal relationships. Sex may become a means for securing affection and intimacy, potentially leading to earlier sexual debut, or altered cognitions after sexual abuse may lead victims to engage in risky sexual behaviors more positively.
Sexual content within the media, substance use, and experiences of sexual trauma are deeply interconnected factors that shape the sexual behaviors of adolescents and young adults. Media portrayals often normalize and glamorize sexual activity without adequate context, influencing young audiences’ perceptions of sexual norms and expectations. Simultaneously, substance use can impair decision-making and lower inhibitions, increasing the likelihood of engaging in unprotected or high-risk sexual behavior. For those who have experienced sexual trauma, these influences may be further compounded by emotional distress and maladaptive coping strategies, such as substance use or seeking validation through risky sexual encounters. Together, these factors contribute to a complex and often hazardous landscape of sexual development, underscoring the need for comprehensive sexual education, trauma-informed care, and preventative interventions aimed at supporting the health and well-being of young people.
Jackson is a guest blogger at UITAC Publishing. UITAC’s mission is to provide high-quality, affordable, and socially responsible online course materials.
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