According to a study published Monday by the RAND Corporation, teenagers that spend more time listening to music with lyrics that objectify women or praise men for their voracious sexual appetites are more likely to become sexually active earlier in their youth.
"Kids are exposed to these sorts of messages not just in music but in culture in general," says Steven Martino, a RAND psychologist and lead researcher on the study. "It's better to have them be critical thinkers than have them just be sheltered teens."
Throughout the study, participants reported how often they were listening to 16 artists chosen by the study's authors based on their popularity. In every case -- across racial and gender lines, and after accounting for factors like a heightened interest in sex or more permissive parents -- increased exposure to sexually degrading lyrics (though not merely sexual ones) led to increased sexual activity. Source
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