TEENAGE girls who watch a lot of TV shows with a high sexual content are twice as likely to become pregnant, according to a study.
Boys watching similar programmes were also more likely to get a girl pregnant, the research in found.
The study authors said limiting exposure to sexual content on TV might reduce teen pregnancies.
Experts urged parents to talk more openly with their children about sex.
Study author Dr Anita Chandra of the RAND Corporation said adolescents received a considerable amount of information about sex through television and the problem was that programmes such as these typically did not highlight the risks and responsibilities.
She said: “Our findings suggest that television may play a significant role in the high rates of teenage pregnancy in the US.”
According to Dr Chandra, hers is the first study to show such a direct link.
The researchers interviewed 2,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 three times between 2001 and 2004.
By the third interview, 744 of the teenagers said they had engaged in sexual intercourse and 718 of the youths shared with the researchers information about their pregnancy histories.
Of that group, 91 teens – 58 girls and 33 boys – were involved in a pregnancy.