Does Adolescent Media Use Predict Sexual Stereotypes in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood? Associations with Music Television and Online Pornography Exposure

Entertainment media consumed by adolescents have been criticized for their stereotyped depictions of sexual relationships. This longitudinal study among 182 boys and 218 girls from Belgium tests reciprocal relationships between adolescents’ acceptance of gendered sexual roles and their exposure to music television and online pornography over three waves. The study innovates by including a fourth wave, approximately 5 years after Wave 3, when the participants had reached emerging adulthood, allowing to study long-term associations across the two developmental stages. Results first showed that adolescents who watched more music television than their same-aged peers reported a stronger acceptance of rape myths in emerging adulthood. Second, the link between adolescents’ music television viewing and acceptance of rape myths in emerging adulthood was an indirect relationship through adolescents’ acceptance of gendered sexual roles during adolescence. Third, adolescents’ exposure to online pornography relative to their same-aged peers did not predict their acceptance of gendered sexual roles or rape myths in emerging adulthood. Fourth, gender and age differences could not be investigated due to model fit problems and are suggested to be examined in future research. Implications of the long-term consequences of adolescents’ media use are discussed.