There is a dearth of study on ‘the influence of television [...] on [adolescent and youth] sexual attitudes, feelings and sexual behaviours’ (Forbes, 2010). In Jamaica, very little is known about how advertisements and music videos for example, with such high sexually explicit content, promotes sexual risk-taking or myths about sex and sexuality, relationships and HIV/AIDS.

Youth ages 10 to 24 comprise nearly one-third of Jamaica's population of over 2.7 million people. The HIV prevalence among the general population in Jamaica is 1.7% and adolescents and youth continue to be at high risks of HIV transmission.

Researchers have provided a number of reasons, including the lack of access to effective prevention programmes, safe sex contraceptives and age appropriate information, as drivers that increase sexual risk-taking behaviours among adolescents and youth. In addition, the National HIV/STI Programme has found that multiple sex partners, low condom usage and low perceptions of risks also contribute to the incidences of HIV transmission among adolescents and youth in Jamaica.

Of particular importance is the lack of comprehensive information about sex and sexuality and STIs including HIV. As young people we face a dilemma. On one hand, we are exposed to sex and on the other social institutions such as the media offer very little opportunity for us to learn all we need to safeguard and protect our sexual and reproductive health. In fact, although there are public broadcasting policies in Jamaica, which limit the frequency, and/or content at particular times of the days, there is still a high volume of such content aired throughout the day. Conversely, on a youth-related talk show, hosted by Empress – a popular media personality in Jamaica, the topic of sexual abuse was being discussed but couldn’t be aired at its regular early evening time.

I am still clueless about why such an important topic had to be delayed until late in the night when so many of our young people know very little about sexual abuse. This is concerning since there is an alarming degree of misinformation and ignorance about HIV/AIDS among young people, especially young women. Studies have also shown that these same young people are teaching their peers about sex. The age of sexual debut is 13 years for girls and 15 for boys; yet there is a significant investment towards abstinence-only initiatives such as the RE TV “Abstinence” School Tour and the National Family Planning Board.

Of critical importance to this discussion, is the role of dancehall music, especially music videos for the said genre, in the lives of adolescents and youth and how it helps to shape their self, social and sexual identities. Media, Music & Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica, by Dr. Marcia Forbes (2010) study, found that adolescents believe there is a direct correlation between quantities of dancehall videos watched and whether a boy as well as a girl had ever had sex. There is also a direct correlation between quantities of dancehall videos watched & number of sexual partners a boy as well as a girl had.

In addition, 33.8% of adolescents surveyed in Forbes’ study believe that dancehall music is most likely to bring on sexual desires. Additionally, 74.4% believe that of all the music genres listened and viewed dancehall music has the most sex talk/sexual behaviours in content.

Dancehall as music, culture and behaviour is closely connected with potentially problematic sexual behaviours, including sexual risk-taking and multiple sex partners among adolescents and youth. As such there is an urgent need for more integration of media and dancehall music, both as an art form and cultural behaviour, in the national response to HIV and AIDS. The use of media, music and popular dancehall artistes is seemingly minimal compared to the impact they have on adolescent and youth sexual behaviours. For instance, the use of dancehall artistes is more predominant within the RE TV School Tour. This is largely irrelevant given that over 70% of adolescents surveyed in the Ministry of Health’s Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice and Behaviours Survey (2008) were sexually active.

Despite our easy access to various media, there is very little use of new and social media, including social networking websites and mobile phones, to respond to the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents and youth in Jamaica. Program implementers must use new and social media more in their programmes and more must be done to survey the impact of the use of media on adolescents and youth sexual behaviours.