The media has a lot to answer for

Obviously the media has some effect on us, otherwise companies wouldn’t spend thousands of pounds on it, but what is that effect?

Today, the average teen spends more than seven and a half hours a day consuming media — whether it is via the internet, television, magazines, or any other form of media.

This high level of media consumption means that teens are exposed to unhealthy body images, violence and stereotypes, among other things.

Media portrays how an “ideal” teen should be, whether regarding appearance, likes and dislikes, or sexuality.  

Teens are put under a tremendous amount of pressure nowadays to look good, and be “normal”, and are often criticised if they do not conform to this ideology of “the perfect teen”.

Models in magazines and on television are usually slim with a good physique, and are often airbrushed to look flawless.

This gives teens the impression that this is an achievable image, but in actual fact, it’s an unrealistic goal.

Teens like myself are under enough pressure as it is, with school work and exams etc, without having the added worry of trying to conform and be “perfect”.

Advances in technology have also opened up the world of social media — websites and applications that allow users to share content and interact with each other, for example, Facebook and Twitter.

But what effects do these sorts of sites actually have?

Not only do they provide a new means of exposure to aforementioned unrealistic stereotypes for young people, but they also provide a fresh opportunity for bullying.

Many of us will feel that we have been victimised at some time in our lives, but for some it’s much more than that, and this victimisation is commonplace during the teenage years.

Bullying can affect an adolescent’s self confidence and opinion of themselves greatly, but now, with social media, bullying doesn’t necessarily stop with the school bell.

Cyber bullying is now much more common, and is in some ways seen as worse than school bullying, as bullies can continue their aggressive or offensive behaviour, invading the victim’s home; a place where teens should feel safe, but this may not be the case for a victim of cyber bullying.

Without the media, cyber bullying could not exist, and although these social networking sites are usually monitored for any abusive content, sometimes that just isn’t enough. Young people are exposed to enough potentially damaging content as it is via television, magazines, even just in everyday life, without adding cyber bullying to their list of concerns.

Violence and age inappropriate content is another issue with the media. Even in the news there are stories of violence and things that may not be suitable for a younger audience, and while it is important for teens to understand what is happening around the world, the information is often presented to them in a manner that would be more suited to adults.

Teens often want to grow up more quickly as it is, we don’t need to encourage them to grow up before their time.

We should be using the media to inform and educate young people, instead of in such a damaging way as it is currently used.

Media does have positive aspects such as allowing people to understand what’s going on in the world around them, and enabling them to interact with each other.

However, there are certain aspects of it which many feel need to be monitored more closely in order to guard teens from unsuitable content.

The media is a key part of modern life, and is becoming even more so with new advances in technology, but teens are often unnecessarily exposed to content that isn’t necessarily appropriate, and could affect them more than we are aware.

However, with closer monitoring, the media could return to being what it was designed for — a source of information and entertainment for all.

KATE KEETON, Wath Upon Dearne