Our personal life scripts are shaped, in part, by the narratives and behaviours we see in popular media. This influence is particularly pronounced during adolescence, a time when young people explore social roles and norms, and construct what will become their adult identity.
One key dimension of this formative period, which can be deeply affected by media and other mainstream entertainment, is what researchers call “sexual scripts”. These are the learned guidelines and expectations that, once internalised, inform how people, especially teens, understand, approach, and enact sexual behaviour in everyday life.
