Think PG-13 movies are generally good for youth? Think again. There’s little difference in the level of violence found in PG-13 and R-rated movies, according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center.

About half of PG-13 movies in the past two-and-a-half decades feature characters who have sex, act violently and/or drink. Often, acts of sex and violence happen within five minutes of each other.

The study pointed out this kind of content in these teen-targeted films is problematic, because “evidence shows that adolescents do engage in clusters of risk behaviors…Youth, particularly those with impulsive sensation-seeking tendencies, may be at elevated risk for unhealthy behaviors as a result of their media exposure to problematic content.”

The news wasn’t all bad, according to the study. Use of tobacco and alcohol has dropped significantly in the past few decades. In 1985, nearly seven out of every 10 main characters smoked or used tobacco. That’s now down to two in 10, and alcohol use is found in 67 percent of PG-13 films, which sounds significant, but is far less than the nearly 90 percent found in such movies during the 1980s. (Time)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife Wendy and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.