Meagan Hall
English 1200
Research Paper: Media Influence on Youth
20 April 2011
Within our society, there are many forms of skewed information that is brought upon youth by the media. Reality and the way young people perceive the world are greatly affected by television shows, music, movies, and magazines which are a popular part of our culture. The way generations have evolved is shocking and media is partly to blame for children’s unrealistic views of the world. The media has negatively influenced and changed the perspectives of body image, sexual relationships, and violent behaviors of youth and our society needs to take measures to stop this continuing trend.
The American research group, Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders Inc. said that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control—including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting (“Media Awareness Network”). Also, eating disorders have grown 400% since 1970. People wonder why so many teenage girls have body image issues when the answer lies directly in front of them. The question to ask is why the media portrays “normal” as stick thin women. Twenty years ago, the average model weighed 8% less than the average woman, but 2011 models weigh 23% less (“Media Awareness”). Not all women are built the same way and it is appalling how media deluges a woman’s self-concept.
In colonial times, women who were strong and physically fit were admired because they could contribute to the family’s survival. However, at the turn of the century, women became to be admired for small waists. The “normal” woman was sickly and suffered from frequent headaches. Women of significant financial means would go as far as having ribs removed to further decrease their waist size. Despite being painful and causing health problems, such as shortness of breath and dislocated visceral organs, corsets became the height of fashion (Derenne 257-61).
During the 1960’s, further changes took place. Feministic ideals were introduced and women began to demand equality. The introduction of supermodels such as Twiggy idealized thin, boy like bodies. The trend of having a “stick-like” figure has become extremely idolized since the 1960’s and women have begun to have plastic surgery, forcing their bodies to replicate a “Barbie-like” figure, whose measurements are impossible to attain. Young girls look at celebrities and strive to look exactly like their favorite role model. Actress Jaime Lee Curtis explained that women should know that the figures portrayed by the media are rarely real. Granted, celebrities can afford to hire personal trainers and nutritionists to assist in their weight loss and conditioning endeavors. Stylists select fetching outfits and tailors wait on standby to make sure that clothes fit like second skin (Derenne 257-61). Jamie Curtis admits she has “very big breasts and a soft, fatty little tummy ... and ... back fat”.
Solutions to body-image issues are not easy to overcome. Young girls literally starve for perfection and do not realize the harm they are inflicting on their body. As hospitalization for anorexia continues to increase, the media continues to deny that they are at any fault. There are steps society can take to ensure that future generations are healthy and not brain-washed by this false sense of reality. Parents and health care providers alike have a responsibility to talk with children about media messages and healthy life styles. Also, the government should allocate funds to produce exciting, media-driven advertising campaigns to provide information to kids and families about good nutrition, exercise, and healthy self-esteem (Derenne 257-61).
The media also makes it look normal for young teens to be having sex, when in reality it should not be so accepting. Approximately 2/3 of television programming contains some sexual material (McEntire). Furthermore, in 2003, David Buckingham and Sara Bragg reported that two-thirds of young people turn to media when they want to learn about sex, the same percentage of kids who ask their mothers for information and advice.
If the media would tell the truth, this statistic would not be so disturbing. However, the media lies and gives out false information. In a study of both Cosmopolitan and Playboy magazines, both men and women’s magazines presented a single version of female sexuality-“women should primarily concern themselves with attracting and sexually satisfying men.” No one wants their adolescent son, and surely not their daughter, reading this kind of ludicrous information.
Analyses of broadcast media content indicate that, on average, teenage viewers see 143 incidents of sexual behavior on network television at prime time each week, with portrayals of three to four times as many sexual activities occurring between unmarried partners as between spouses (Gruber 210-214). Among adolescent girls in the United States between fifteen and seventeen years of age, 75 per 1,000 become pregnant each year. This rate is two to seven times higher than rates in other industrialized nations (Gruber 210-214). It has become so much of a problem that shows such as “Sixteen and Pregnant” have been aired on television as reality TV shows. If this trend continues, having children during teenage years may become a normal and acceptable aspect of society.
Another consequence that many teenagers face when having sex is contracting an STD. Most teens are not educated or do not acknowledge the growing rate of STD’s in our country. Overall, 25% of sexually active teenagers and 13% of all adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 become infected with sexually transmitted diseases each year. This represents 3 million cases or about 25% of all new cases reported annually (Gruber 210-214). Instead of airing shows that explicitly show sexual encounters as being normal and without negative consequences, the media should take further measures to show the reality of the situations. It is important for teens be aware of the broader picture and to understand that it is not always fun and games. Dr. Brown, a researcher at RAND Research Corporation says, “Some, especially those who have fewer alternative sources of sexual norms, such as parents or friends, may use the media as a kind of sexual super peer that encourages them to be sexually active... Teens are defaulting to entertainment media for sexual information because they aren't getting this information in other places.” Unfortunately, the media aren't the best sex educators. The media tends to leave out the crucial three C's: commitment, contraception and consequences.” Of the roughly 14,0000 references to sex a teen would see on TV each year, only 165 will include any reference to abstinence or delay of sex, birth control, risk of pregnancy, or sexually transmitted disease (“Media and Women”).
Futhermore, the media often portrays women as sex objects. When young women aspire to act just like their "role models" this portrayal can cause promiscuity among the young adolescent, which may lead to further problems such as pregnancy or an unfavorable reputation. MTV, a favorite TV show of girls 11-19, regularly includes girls and women in the traditional role of a sex object, as seen in features on the network and many music videos (“Media and Women”). Reality television is not helping whatsoever. Shows such as the Bachelor and Temptation Island give false presumptions and should not be watched by adolescents. A study of college students by the AAP indicated that viewing reality television shows “correlated with beliefs in a double standard - that men are sex drive and men and women are sexual adversaries” (Gilbert). Large majorities of the population who watch reality television are not yet sexually active and reality television can have harmful effects on an inexperienced mind.
Sex in the media is also very cynical and demeaning. Kilbourne argues that ads imply that women don’t really mean ‘no’ when they say it. Fetish, a perfume, exemplifies this statement. The ad’s copy reads: "Apply generously to your neck so he can smell the scent as you shake your head 'no’." The obvious implication here is, "he’ll understand that you don’t really mean it and he can respond to the scent like any other animal” (Media Issues”).
The media also makes violence seem inconsequential and a normal part of everyday life. On television, perpetrators go unpunished 73% of the time. This gives the message that violence is a successful method of resolving conflicts. Also, only 16% of all broadcast programs show the long-term negative effects of violence. This teaches youth that they can take any actions of violence and ultimately get away without any sort of punishment. It causes emotional desensitization, which refers to a reduction in distress related physiological reactivity to observations or thoughts of violence (Anderson 81-110). The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that by age 18, the average American child will have viewed about 200,000 acts of violence on television alone (“National Center for Children Exposed to Violence”). Some studies have focused on how media violence affects aggressive thinking, including beliefs and attitudes. Other studies have focused on the effects of media violence on aggressive emotions—that is, on emotional reactions such as anger, that are related to aggressive behavior (Appendix 4-B).
If a young child is exposed to this violent thinking from television and does not understand the consequences of aggressive actions or has never been taught that violence is wrong they may think that violence is normal.
Observational learning through the media can have many negative effects on children. Children imitate what they see from a very young age and form their beliefs and attitudes according to their observations. If a child views violent media, he or she may act accordingly and portray themselves in the same manner. Nonetheless, this same process could explain how pro social behavior depicted in the media might encourage positive behavior in children (Appendix 4-B).
There are restrictions that can take place in order to halt children’s exposure to violence in the media. Television and movie rating systems can help guide parents about the content of programming, and screening software, or v-chips can be used to prevent children from watching television programs that parents may deem inappropriate (“National Center for Children Exposed to Violence”). However, parents must become involved for this to work.
Media’s messages are almost impossible to completely avoid. Millions of dollars are spent on advertisements each year and sexually provoking movies and TV shows have been around for decades. However, there are ways we can prevent our youth from becoming too engaged in this ‘media world’. Political Campaigns, parental supervision, and increasing youth-targeted television shows can aid in preventing the negative consequences associated with the media’s unrealistic view on sex, violence, and body-type. Every parent wants their child to grow up to respect themselves and others, and to be aware that the decisions and actions they make have consequences. Media’s delusions about reality and the desensitization of children’s reactions has become too much of a problem to ignore any longer. Our society needs to step up to the plate and intervene.
