ROUSING
SEX WITH MUSIC

Topics: Influence; Media; Music; Sex; Sexual Immorality; Teens

References: Proverbs 22:6; Matthew 6:22–23; Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Philippians 4:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–5; 2 Timothy 2:22; 1 John 2:15–17

Teens who listen to raunchy, sex-filled lyrics are more likely to indulge in early sexual activity than teens who don’t. So said a survey done in 2001 of 1,461 teenagers between the ages of twelve and seventeen.

Most of the participants were virgins at the beginning of the study. Between 2002 and 2004, the researchers did follow-up interviews to track the sexual activity of the teens. About 51 percent of teens who collected sexually degrading music began having sex within two years of the three-year study, compared to 29 percent of those who did not listen to such music. The research was first published in Pediatrics journal.

“A lot of teens think that’s the way they’re supposed to be,” says seventeen-year-old Natasha Ramsey. She is editor of sexetc.com, a Rutgers University website on teen sexual health. “They think that’s the cool thing to do.” She agrees that music is a major decision driver. “Teens will try to deny it; they’ll say, ‘No, it’s not the music.’ But it is the music! It is one of the biggest impacts on our lives.”

—Sunil Vyas, “Raunchy Lyrics Trigger Earlier Onset of Sexual Activity among Teens,” earthtimes.org (August 7, 2006)