The Impact of Media on Teenagers

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The media is a huge part in everyone's lives and they have a great influence on the actions we partake in on a daily basis. Though adults don't usualy fall into the pressure of the media, young children and teenagers ae highly sussestable to what the media is telling them to do and what's 'cool'. A major action glorified by the media is smoking and it pressures minors to take up the horrible habit as an attempt to be happy or some how be like their favorite celebrity. Media and holly wood especially have both contributed to an era of people smoking and are a direct cause for the increase of youth smoking today.

Before the health risks were discovered, in the 1960's, the glamorization of smoking by hollywood began and as a result, by 1965 50% of men and 33% of women smoking cigarettes. (http://www.tobaccofreeca.com/ ) Popular tv shows and commercials broadcasted actors smoking and ejoying themseves, becomming happier which the audience viewing it saw as something they could do and enjoy too. Actors and actresses were endorced by tobacco companies to be shown using their products which is what caused a spike in tobacco use in movies adnd tv shows during this time to spike. The most famous and influencial actors were chosen to appear on commercials as away to increase the sale of tabacco use for that certain company.( Elfenbien) By using this tactic, viewers would see their favorite celebrity smoking and think to themselves that's what they had to do in order to be like them or potentially become famous. This then caused an inflimation ofsmoking rates to go from 19.2% of American smokingin the early 1900's to 44.2% of Americans smoking.( Elfenbien) It was as if a social revolution had occured because Americans all over the U.S. ...

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Hollywood and the media itself have concluded to be a direct factor for influencing youth into the act of smoking. With this beginning in the 1960's, it has traveled into modern day and is still a continous problem that occurs. Youth are too easily manupulated by thei favorite celebrities and media that they believe smoking is something that will make them cool and people of importance in their lives like them. Even with regulations on tobacco broadcasting it is still an issue and will continue being an issue even if more protocols are taken to banning smoking in the media. It's ultimately impossible to ban it completely and to shelter youth from viewing smoking. No matter what, the media will have some type of influence on this behavior and as a result of it happening for so long it will continue to occur.

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