Key Social Norms Take-aways The study underscores the importance of recognizing how adolescents’ exposure to media shapes their ideas of what is “normal” sexual behavior among peers and reinforces gender stereotypes. Efforts to address sexual health and reduce risk-taking among youth should include media literacy approaches that help adolescents critically engage with the sexual norms and messages they encounter across media platforms.

Objectives This study aimed to explore how the types and amounts of media that Nairobi adolescents consume are related to their sexual beliefs and attitudes, including perceptions of peer sexual behavior, gender stereotypes, and attitudes toward casual sex.

Methods Researchers surveyed 464 students from six secondary schools in Nairobi, using self-administered questionnaires to gather data on their favorite TV shows, musicians, radio stations, internet use, and time spent with each. They also measured students’ perceptions of how much sexual content appeared in their favorite media and assessed their sexual attitudes and perceived norms among peers.

Results The study found that adolescents who reported liking media (especially music and TV) with a strong focus on physical relationships were more likely to believe that risky sexual behaviors were common among their peers. These adolescents also tended to endorse gender-stereotypical views — seeing men as sex-driven, women as sex objects, and dating as a game. Notably, time spent on the internet was a strong predictor of endorsing these attitudes, while general TV exposure was linked only to lower perceived peer sexual activity unless specific sexual content was reported.

Conclusions Media consumption patterns, particularly the focus on sexual content, play a significant role in shaping adolescents’ perceptions of social norms around sex and their personal sexual attitudes. Simply measuring total media time is less useful than understanding which content adolescents are drawn to and how they interpret it.