ABSTRACT
Entertainment mass media offerings in the United States are replete with portrayals of recreational, consequence-free sex and glorifi ed violence (e.g., Gunasekera, Chapman, & Campbell, 2005; Kunkel et al., 2007; Sargent et al., 2002; Smith et al., 1998; Ward, 1995). While potentially fallacious (Bushman & Bonacci, 2002), the rationale driving sexual and violent productions is captured in the often stated clichés: “sex sells” and “violence sells.” Although they may fi ll the coffers of media companies, few content patterns have drawn the ire of child advocates, moral authorities, and overseers of the public’s health to the extent of media sex and violence. For instance, The Parents’ Television Council was founded with the express purpose of preventing children from being “constantly assaulted” by sex and violence in the mass media (Arnston, 2005, p. 1C). Likewise, the National Council of Churches has warned that media sex and violence lead to untoward behavior among youth and “seriously threaten the quality of American life” (Associated Press, 1985, p. 3A). Similarly, members of the American Academy of Pediatrics have repeatedly advised the public about the dangers to children that accrue from
exposure to media violence and sex (Guernsey, 2008; United Press International, 1986).
