However, a recent study conducted by Brigham Young University researchers found that profanity is becoming increasingly common in novels directed toward adolescents.
Published in the Mass Communication and Society Journal, the study looked at content from the New York Times' 2008 list of adolescent best sellers. Out of 40 books, 35 used profane words at least once and an average of about seven profanities per hour of reading was found. As the first study to analyze profanity in teen novels, profanities were defined as "obscene, taboo, vulgar or offensive language as deemed by the American general public."