A study was recently done on the influence sex in the media has on adolescents aged 12 to 14. The result was that the highest level of exposure to sexually charged media resulted in increased sexual activity among those studied.

Sex is continually portrayed in the media as fun and risk- free, and fewer parents are educating their children about the proper use of sex in marriage. As a result, the messages on TV and in other media become a "superpeer" that influences young people more intensely than regular peer pressure ("Study: Sex-Filled Media Linked to Promiscuity," Reuters, April 3).

Just like violence in media, sex in media is finally being officially recognized as a pervasive and dangerous influence on young people. It may seem a pretty obvious conclusion, but as always, the society around us influences us more than we realize.

Guard your mind and seek to watch, listen to and read things that reflect respect for marriage and sex in the context God intended. For more information, request or download Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension.