Yes, "forbidden fruit" is a component in sexuality. A parent ends up having to balance this factor with all of the others.

There are, I believe, two issues which exacerbate this "sexualization:"

1. The tone/character of pop music (notably hip-hop/rap), and

2. The nearly ubiquitous nature of internet porn.

Both have their place in the milieu of expression.

Nothing is inherently wrong with a song that addresses, with specificity, the sexual character of relationships. It his a "realness" to it that earlier songs did no more than allude to. Challenging norms and exploring the "gritty" side of reality has long been a component of artistic expression.

Pornography is accepted as a norm of sexual entertainment in many cultures, with members of both sexes perusing such material. As art, it generates a mostly visceral response, but in some instances can appeal to "higher" level artistic expression even while being explicitly sexual.


But the internet, the television, and the airwaves mean that these influences are a constant component of almost every child's life from the moment they reach an age where they can begin to comprehend the subject of sex (7-10 for a start?). It is almost impossible for a parent to completely divorce their children from exposure to such influences and NOTHING is more interesting to children than those things that are interesting to their older sibs and parents.


What to do about it is the 64k question....and I don't think I have a better answer than those put forward.