Although content analytic research has examined casual sexual scripts in television programming, less is known about how the relational context of sexual behaviors is depicted by age. Using a sample of U.S. tween, teen, and young-adult television programs from 2016, we analyzed how relational status varies by type of sexual behavior and presumed age of the target audience. Results show sexual intercourse behaviors are most frequently depicted within the context of a hookup or casual sex interaction, whereas precursory sexual behaviors (flirting, kissing, and touching) are more commonly portrayed in committed relationships. Findings further suggest tween shows exclusively depicted sexual behaviors in the context of committed relationships, hookups are just as frequent in teen shows as they are in young-adult shows, and casual sex relationships are more likely to occur in young-adult shows than in teen shows.

尽管内容分析研究已经检查了电视节目中的随意性脚本，但人们对如何根据年龄来描绘性行为的相关情境知之甚少。我们使用了2016年以来美国青少年，青少年和青少年电视节目的样本，我们分析了性关系类型如何随性行为类型和目标受众的假定年龄而变化。结果显示，性交行为最常在联播或随意性交互动的背景下描绘，而先验性行为（调情，接吻和触摸）则更常见于性爱关系中。研究结果进一步表明，补间节目专门描述了双方关系中的性行为，在青少年演出中，联播节目与在成人演出中一样，