In spite of government attempts to restrain broadcast television indecency after the Janet Jackson peek-a-boob during the 2004 Super Bowl, sex on television is more prevalent than ever and on the rise.

The number of sexual scenes on television has nearly doubled since 1998. While television references to safer sex have also increased in that time, the frequency of such messages has tapered off in recent years, according to a study released in November by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The study found that 70 percent of all shows today contain some sexual content and those shows average five sexual scenes per hour. In 1998 56 percent of television shows had sexual content and 3.2 scenes per hour. Overall there has been a 96 percent increase in sexual scenes on television over the last seven years.

According to Betsy Blosser, a professor in the broadcast and electronic communication arts department who specializes in the effects of television, when you look at the relationship between television and the viewer it is important to consider not only the content of the shows but the age, developmental level, and experiences of the individual.

“One thing we have to look at with sexual content is that one of the functions that television serves in society is as a legitimating force for the viewer,” said Blosser. “In other words, if they see it on television, the viewer thinks that it’s okay.

“And to the extent that they see the behavior over and over on television, we assume that the more they see it, the more the legitimating effect on the individual.”

For the purposes of the study, sexual content was deemed to include both talk about sex and sexual behavior. The activity in the shows reviewed ranged from kissing and fondling to sexual intercourse. Despite the high incidence rate of sexual content, only 11 percent of the shows depicted or strongly implied actual intercourse.

The study also found that two-thirds of all safer-sex references on television are “minor or inconsequential”, a ratio that has remained constant since 1998.

“Pushing the envelope is what sells on television to the extent that pushing the envelope is what gets bodies in front of the screen, which is what advertisers want,” said Blosser. “But we’re having the ability to screen out commercials and advertisers are looking to other media to advertise, and if that’s the case we may have some good news in sight.”

In another survey conducted this year by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, it was found that 75 percent of Americans favor tighter enforcement of government rules on television content during hours when children are most likely to be watching.

“What often happens when there is an issue with sex or violence on television is that there are congressional hearings and stations will tone down their content for a while,” said Blosser, who also pointed out that the Federal Communications Commission wouldn’t do anything that might violate the first amendment. “But as soon as congress looks at something else other than the media, television goes right back to its practices.”

The Pew Research Center survey also revealed that 68 percent of the population believes that young people seeing so much sex and violence on television gives them the wrong idea about what is acceptable in society.

“We have the media and a more permissive society working together to strengthen the effects on young people,” said Blosser. “I think teenagers need comprehensive sex education that involves looking at values and attitudes as well as behaviors.”