“Let’s Talk About Sex”: How Sexual Health Dimensions are Integrated into Verbal Discourses in Teen Dramas Available on Video on Demand

This paper examines references to romantic relationships, gender and sexuality (RRGS) in popular teen drama, specifically focusing on the series Sex Education, Euphoria, Thirteen Reasons Why, and Elite. A lexicometric analysis was applied to the transcribed subtitles of these four series. While previous research has identified sexual health messages in subscribing video on demand platforms, their completeness, accuracy, and alignment with prosocial or antisocial behaviours must be questioned. Romantic relationships, gender and sexuality are three dimensions related to sexual health issues tackled in recent TV series. We analysed what specific terms are used to refer to RRGS; and what are the other themes linked to it, in order to determine whether the references convey prosocial or antisocial references, regarding sexual health recommendations. The findings of the study demonstrate RRGS are intricately woven into the overall narrative and are interconnected with various other themes like violence and adolescents’ daily lives. However, TV series often depict a concerning image of sexuality and intimate relationships, indicating a prevalence of antisocial messages in their verbal discourses. Moreover, TV series employs a nuanced and strategic combination of language levels, to establish a sense of legitimacy and proximity with the audience. The study highlights the need for a more balanced approach between prosocial and antisocial presentations of RRGS, in TV series verbal discourses to foster potentially empowering messages in line with sexual health recommendations and entertainment education theories.