The Media's Negative Influence on Teens

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In a world overwhelmed by television, commercials, billboards, magazine advertisements and the Internet, the power that the media holds and how it influences society has become an accepted part of our daily lives. When we watch television or browse the Internet, we see media reports on how celebrities have altered their faces or the debut of the newest weight loss tactic. Do People Magazine, Cosmopolitan, or U.S Weekly promote anything other than fashion, gossip and celebrities? These rumor magazines are types of media that show readers, many of them being teenagers, the hottest gossip about celebrities. These fashion magazines focus on losing exceptional amounts of weight in weeks to inexpensive plastic surgery. While adolescent girls are interested in losing weight and looking beautiful, young men are influenced by body builders and the use of steroids to achieve their idea of the “perfect” body. Girls’ and boys’ bodies are changing almost every day. What they read in magazines and what they watch on television have a great impact on their adult lives. The Internet now offers infinite amounts of pornography sites at no charge. Even the advertisements on the margins of appropriate web pages can easily lead teens to pornographic websites. Television commercials and movies present scenes of care-free underage teens smoking and drinking to underage. Underage alcohol and tobacco use has been a serious problem in our society for a while. Media influences teens in a more negative than positive way through television commercials and shows, the internet, movies, video games and even children’s toys. Why do we allow media to influence the young generation to become skinny “sticks” or have abnormally ripped muscles? Why do we tolerate the...

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...oking and sexual behaviors to teens all over the United States and even the world. Greek, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Sex and the City and The Girls Next Door are some of the television shows that receive high ratings, mainly due to the amount of teens that spend hours and hours watching them. Preventing teens from becoming pregnant, saying no to alcohol and cigarettes, and teaching them about sexually transmitted diseases are some things parents can do to help their children stay safe. Media excels at presenting negative behaviors to all teenagers, but in the end it is their decision to make the right choice. We should do everything we can to make sure the teens of the future generations excel in making positive decisions rather than being a victim of the media.

Works Cited

George Comstock and Erica Scharrer. Media and the American Child. Print

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