Hollywood sex scenes can have a negative impact on a teenager's attitudes towards relationships, according to new research.

A study conducted at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire revealed watching love scenes could "fundamentally influence" sexual behaviour.

Dr Ross O'Hara, who led the study, commented: "Adolescents who are exposed to more sexual content in movies start having sex at younger ages, have more sexual partners, and are less likely to use condoms with casual sexual partners."

As a result of the findings, Dr O'Hara urged parents to restrict their children from witnessing such movie content at a young age.

It was suggested that the combination of sexually explicit scenes and hormonal surges in adolescence prevents many teenagers from differentiating between film and reality.

Movies such as American Beauty, 40 Days and 40 Nights and American Pie were all considered to have a significant amount of content dealing with sexual themes that could influence impressionable teens.

Written by Donal Walsh

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