The influence of televison on adolescent girls' sexual attitutes and behaviour in Mabopane Township

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how television influences the sexual attitudes and behaviour of adolescent girls in Mabopane Township. Though the area of adolescent sexual behaviour has been researched to a considerable degree elsewhere, there seemed to be lack of information regarding adolescent sexual behaviour and attitudes relating to Africa, especially South Africa, which inspired the researcher to embark on this study. The researcher explored the adolescent girls’ experiences using qualitative approach and in-depth individual interviews, and undertook a content thematic analysis of the textual data she gathered from girls who participated. A qualitative research design was adopted for this study as it allowed the researcher to obtain rich data from the participants. Purposive random sampling was also used to select participants. The four participants were between age 16 and 17, studying in grades 11 and 12. The results of this study indicated that adolescent girls from Mabopane Township feel that television does influence their sexual attitudes and behaviour. They also indicated that television does not display the consequences of sex, thus influencing adolescents to engage in such behaviour. Related to this was the finding that adolescents view characters on television as their role models because the latter are ‘in the limelight’, therefore enhancing the possibility of them doing what they see their role models doing. Furthermore, the participants indicated that television alone is not the only influence in their lives; other factors such as parental guidance and peer pressure also contribute to shaping their sexual attitudes and behaviours. They also indicated that frequent viewing of television is more likely to result in adolescents altering their sexual beliefs and adopting what is being done on television. Copyright