Media Influence on Youth, Essay Example

Because the vast majority of children and teenagers watch a great deal of television, they are exposed to violence and sexualized images constantly, especially if parents do not exercise limit-setting and supervision of what their children are watching. There is a wide array of personalities and viewpoints represented by the media, and the developing mind of children and teens easily absorb what they see and hear without questioning the source. This essay will discuss the ways in which children and teenagers integrate media into their development, as well as the potential short-and long-term consequences to their development.

The images of violence that are broadcast daily on news programs as well as on television programming have a significant impact on the person watching, whether it is a child, an adolescent, and even an adult. The constant barrage of aggressive and sexual behaviors appearing on television certainly increases the chances that the viewer will imitate such actions. For example, a show on MTV about teenage moms is not necessarily intended to glorify that situation, but nevertheless, there will be a percentage of young teenagers watching the show for whom there will be a different message: babies are cute, albeit difficult at times, and having a baby provides someone to love you. Other media, both on television and the movies, may romanticize risk-taking behaviors, and both children and adolescents are vulnerable to engaging in behaviors that they perceive as being “cool.” Since being popular is such a tremendous priority for young people, they are likely to imitate characters that they see on television, both real and fictional, despite the fact that the behaviors may be dangerous or destructive to them.

An example of young people’s susceptibility to mimicking a wide range of media messages as well as images is the popularity of programs such as “The Jersey Shore.” Although the cast of that program are as far from portraying positive role models as possible, nevertheless, they are invited to appear on numerous primetime and late-night talk shows, and they have presented various styles of hair and clothing, as well as behaviors, that have been widely adopted by their viewing audience. In addition, the teenagers in this show come across as inarticulate, unintelligent, and focused purely on having fun. They frequently appear drunk and engaging in physical battles with each other as well as strangers; nevertheless, this is one of the highest rated programs on television.

The short term effects of watching a program like “The Jersey Shore” include the danger that their behaviors, not their appearances, may be experienced by young minds as acceptable ways to relate to people and behave in public. There does not seem to be anything substantial to learn from the show, and certainly its viewers would benefit more by viewing something that is more educational or at least less socially inappropriate. over the long-term, there is probably not much risk to the viewers who, hopefully, will develop a sense of what behaviors will help them to succeed in life and adopt those more productive ways of behaving. Watching shows that portray violence, however, presents both short and long-term risks to children and teens.

When the viewing audience is exposed again and again to aggression, viewers can become desensitized to it, making it more likely that violent behavior will be seen as acceptable and normal. Just as when children witness domestic abuse by and between their parents, they are more likely to repeat that behavior, the same is likely to be true when the violence is portrayed through the media. An example of this would be all of the student shootings in schools that followed the Columbine incident; this was presented again and again on the news and other shows, and some of the copycat criminals that followed that example literally said that they wanted to be like the murderers from Columbine. No more stark example of violence begetting violence can be presented.