With teens having more control and choice over their media consumption than ever before, this book highlights how the current media landscape impacts adolescent sexuality in the areas of identity development, romantic and sexual relationships, sexual health, and advocacy and education.
Recognizing that teens are often media multitaskers and media effects do not occur in isolation by platform, the book includes examinations of a wide variety of media types and content to provide a more comprehensive look at the media landscape and its impact on teen sexuality. While the text includes empirical, data-driven chapters that are authored by experts in the field, it also prioritizes the diverse voices of teens throughout. All research studies featured in the book are informed by data collection with teens themselves from various parts of the world representing a range of teen identities.
This is a key text for researchers and undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of communication (including media effects and health communication); human development; psychology; and public health, with relevance to parents, educators, and policy makers as well.
List of Contributors Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction 1. State of the Field: A Look at the Research Landscape on Teens, Sex, and Media 2. The Motivations for and Challenges Conducting Research with Adolescents about Sexuality and Media Section 1: Let’s Talk About Mediated Sex: Using Media for Sexual Identity Development 3. Section 1 Introduction 4. Mediated Identities: A Qualitative Exploration of How Adolescents from Six Countries Make Sense of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation in Media 5. Making Sense of Mediated Sexuality: Examining the Perceptions of First-Year College Students 6. LGBTQ Youth Report on Media-Based Interactions with their Parents 7. Girls Just Wanna. . .Figure Out Their Sexuality: Exploring the Links between Celebrity Idolization and U.S. Adolescent Girls’ Sexual Self-Concept 8. Section 1 Commentary Section 2: Princesses, Pornography, and Sexual Violence: Understanding the Impact of Teens’ Experiences with Sexual Media Content 9. Section 2 Introduction 10. What Becomes of the Pretty Princess? Childhood Princess Engagement and Women’s Gender and Relationship Conceptions in Late Adolescence 11. Image-Based Sexting and Sexual Abuse Experiences among Early Adolescents 12. Peers vs. Pixels: Teen Sexting as Influenced by Peer Norms and Pornography Use 13. Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence among Adolescents: Prevalence, Age and Gender Differences, Changes over Time, and Mental Health Outcomes 14. Section 2 Commentary Section 3: Adolescents as Engagers and Creators: Opportunities for Media Education and Advocacy 15. Section 3 Introduction 16. Media Literacy Education for Comprehensive Sexual Health Promotion 17. Participatory Pathways: Envisioning Youth-Centric Digital Sexual Health Education 18. Disclosure of Sexual Assault in Entertainment Media: Adolescent Girls’ Sense-making of Supportive and Unsupportive Sexual Assault Disclosure Narratives 19. Adolescent’ Use of Social Media for Sexual and Reproductive Health Advocacy 20. Section 3 Commentary Conclusion 21. Envisioning the Future of Teens, Sex, and Media Research Measures Appendix Index
Stacey J.T. Hust, Ph.D., Washington State University, United States, is a professor of health communication and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and College Operations. She studies how media influence adolescents’ romantic and sexual lives. Rebecca Ortiz, Ph.D., Syracuse University, United States, is an associate professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications whose research focuses on sexual health promotion, sexual violence prevention, and sexual media effects on adolescents and young adults. Jessica Fitts Willoughby, Ph.D., Washington State University, United States, is a Lester M. Smith Distinguished Associate Professor in the Murrow College of Communication. She examines how media can be used to improve health attitudes and behaviors among adolescents.
