Some Teen Books Surprisingly X-Rated, Study Finds
In fact, researchers reported online June 8 in the Journal of Sex Research, books aimed at 12- and 13-year-olds were no less sexy than books aimed at readers ages 14 and up. In addition, sex was rarely presented in a healthy light: Contraceptives and practical consequences were almost never mentioned, said study researcher Sarah Coyne, a psychologist at Brigham Young University. (Brigham Young University is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is the largest religious university in the United States.)
“I would never argue for censorship,” Coyne told LiveScience. “But I do think we’re missing something here.”
Sensationalism anyone?
From the article: “In some cases, she said, the content of a book aimed at a 12-year-old would earn it an R rating if it were a movie.” The only place “X-Rated” is mentioned is in the headline.
X
The X may be slightly over the top but let us change the title to R-rated. Should 12 year olds be exposed to R-rated material?
what makes something R-rated?
if you have lots of sex with multiple partners without marriage or some formal relationship
where sex comes from drug use where consent is questionable
if the sex is described in a very detailed way to arouse sexual desire in the reader
if the language is course or the physical response to the sex is gratuitous
if the violence is described in a sensational way where victims appear to suffer
when characters say “the f word” repeatedly
so, did anyone think, ummm, The Bible? just kidding, but you know someone is going to mention it sooner or later, with all its sex and incest and rape and murder…
lots of stuff I read as a kid was pretty gory with eyeballs being gouged out and veins torn open and blood everywhere. it’s pretty much Seduction of the Innocent all over again. check out The horror! the horror! comic books the government didn’t want you to read! and compare some of that art to what is being criticized here… how long until the government steps in???? oh, wait, as a public librarian, I AM THE GUMMINT (yikes!)
-eff