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Introduction. Today, on the internet and on television adolescents are exposed to sexual content. Many studies suggest there is a link between exposure to ’sexy media’ (music video’s, online pornography, reality-tv and social media) and sexual behaviour in adolescents. This study examined the relationship between exposure to sexy media and sexual behaviour in adolescents and whether this relationship is moderated by gender and level of education. Method. The sample consisted of (N =259) adolescents, of which 52,9% are girls. (Mage = 16.8, SD = 0.87) from 7 high-schools in the Netherlands. This study took place in the classroom through online questionnaires. The sample contains 8.1% low education level. Results. Results showed that exposure to social media and reality-tv are the best indicators for sexual behaviour in adolescents. Gender and level of education did not moderate the relationship between sexy media and sexual behaviour. Discussion. Limitations and implications for future research and practice into reducing the negative effects are discussed.

Introduction. Today, on the internet and on television adolescents are exposed to sexual content. Many studies suggest there is a link between exposure to ’sexy media’ (music video’s, online pornography, reality-tv and social media) and sexual behaviour in adolescents. This study examined the relationship between exposure to sexy media and sexual behaviour in adolescents and whether this relationship is moderated by gender and level of education. Method. The sample consisted of (N =259) adolescents, of which 52,9% are girls. (Mage = 16.8, SD = 0.87) from 7 high-schools in the Netherlands. This study took place in the classroom through online questionnaires. The sample contains 8.1% low education level. Results. Results showed that exposure to social media and reality-tv are the best indicators for sexual behaviour in adolescents. Gender and level of education did not moderate the relationship between sexy media and sexual behaviour. Discussion. Limitations and implications for future research and practice into reducing the negative effects are discussed.