By Nsiiro Jacob
Be it television, computers, video games, social networking sites – it hugely impacts all aspects of a teen’s life. But all is not bad with the media. If used right, media can change lives for good. This post highlights both positive and negative influences of media on teenagers. The positive influence of the media on the youth Help Develop Awareness: Most teens live a sheltered life. But with exposure to various media outlets, they can develop awareness about society and the world.
This cultural and political awareness is vital if we want to groom a generation of socially responsible citizens. With news channels, magazines, social networking sites Inspire Them: When your teen watches an action flick, don’t just despair about the violence. With a little guidance, they can use the movie as inspiration! Maybe your teen will decide to take up martial arts training, all thanks to a Bruce Lee movie! Teenagers look up to celebrities, and when a celebrity tells them to stay off drugs, they just might listen. Help Develop Reading And Writing Skills: When a celebrity talks of her favorite book, your teenager might be tempted to grab a book too. Not just that, if your teenager wants to be a part of blogs, chat rooms, etc., she’ll need to improve her reading and writing skills. But these benefits cannot sugar-coat the negatives that come with media.
There is some truth in what people say today. Negative Influences Of Media On youth Distorted Body Image: The world is full of perfect people today. With perfect skin, body, and hair – that’s what it appears like to the young today. Thanks to Photoshop, the standard of beauty has become impossible to achieve. And these images are everywhere. This has led to distorted body image among a number of teenagers. Making Violence Normal: The amount of violence in video games and movies today is scary. And teenagers spend several hours every day watching these scenes of gore. Violence becomes their reality.
Many teenagers are unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy. This makes violence ‘normal’ for them. The number of school shootings in USA is an indication of this very fact. Risky Sexual Behavior: Teenagers are just discovering their sexuality. It is very normal for them to be interested in everything sexual. But the amount of sex in media today can make a teenager confused. Sex without responsibility – that seems to be the message being beamed at teenagers. This can lead to irresponsible sexual behavior and unwanted pregnancies.
