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The study, carried out by the Rand Corp. for American magazine Pediatrics, surveyed 1,792 US adolescents aged between 12 and 17 in 2001 and then again a year later.
Those who watched said programmes were also linked with a higher risk of commencing non-intercourse behaviour, including passionate kissing and oral sex.
The research claims that sex is present in around two-thirds of all TV shows, excluding news and sports, meaning that TV may thus "create the illusion that sex is more central to daily life than it truly is and may promote sexual initiation as a result."
Of those surveyed, the percentage of teens having intercourse rose from 18% to 36% over the year, while those having sexual experiences other than intercourse increased from 62% to 75%.
The report was also critical of programme makers for rarely highlighting the negative aspects of underage sex such as unwanted pregnancy, AIDS and STDs. "It sends kids the message that everybody's having sex and nobody's thinking about responsibility and nothing bad ever happens," said Rebecca Collins, the lead researcher. "You don't see the fade to black, the couple has sex, and the next morning says, 'You gave me an STD.'"
