English Composition - Essay

Diego Villena Professor Jared Gadsby English Composition I 22 June 2015 The Impact of Television on Teenagers and Children Due to the constant technological advances and globalization, it is accurate to say that most urban families around the world own a television in their homes. For many years, there has been an increasing trend in displaying fit, good-looking characters on TV. Even though this might seem as normal pattern to use, we tend to overlook the impact these characters have on the viewers, especially on the impressionable minds of teenagers and children that subliminally perceive the content shown in television as an ideal model for their own reality. As a result of this phenomenon, TV shows and commercials negatively influence young children and teenagers’ identities by leading them to develop eating disorders, relating women’s value to their physical appearance, promoting sexualization, shortening their childhood, exposing them to STDs, early pregnancies and sexual predators, and by teaching boys to view women as sexual objects. The pattern of having protagonists in TV series with slim figures encourages young viewers to adjust their body figure in order to be similar to the characters’, since they are recognized as role models due their fame and success. The general pattern in most TV series is that the heroes and heroines obtain what they want; Additionally, the protagonists that achieve its goals are usually fit. This correlation can be unconsciously perceived while watching television programs and can cause teens to develop eating disorders during their attempt to imitate these role models. A study conducted in Fiji portrayed the impact of these television shows in young girls: “In this sense, disordered eating among the Fijian schoolgirls in this study appears to be primarily an instrumental means of reshaping body and identity to enhance social and economic opportunities” (Becker 507). Because of this mistakenly interpreted link between having a slim figure and success, these girls developed serious health conditions that, if not treated, can end up in fatal results. The constant bombarding of sexualized women images in commercials and TV programs give the idea that a women’s value depends more on their physical appearance than their own accomplishments: “One study cited by the report, for instance, compared the ability of college-age women to solve math problems while trying on a sweater (alone in the dressing room) with that of those trying on swimsuits. Sweater wearers far out-performed the scantily dressed” (Hanes 485). Not only does sexualization affect the academic performances of women by accentuating their insecurities, it also limits their ability to perform physical activities, as it would not be considered sexy for a woman to play sports, for instance: “The Women’s Sports Foundation found that 6 girls drop out of sports for every 1 boy by the end of high school, and a recent Girl Scout study found that 23 percent of girls between the ages of 11 and 17 do not play sports because they do not think their bodies look good doing so” (Hanes 484). Due to the self-consciousness effect caused by television programs, teenage girls elude the opportunities given to succeed in sports and compromise their health by rejecting these physical activities. Commercials that relate sexiness with popularity and femininity encourage children to be sexualized and to adopt patterns considered inappropriate for their ages. Hanes points out that: “If girls can be convinced to equate ‘sexy’ with popularity and girlness itself, and if ‘sexy’ requires the right clothes, makeup, hairdo, accessories, and shoes, then marketers have a new bunch of consumers (487). Due to the financial benefit obtained by companies to include children as part of their target market, this type of advertising has been increasing over time influencing children to adopt a grown up image at a very early stage. Teenagers are more prone to engage in sexual activities in their attempt to emulate the adult patterns displayed in television, causing a shorter childhood and prematurely exposing them to an adult stage. A study carried out in the early 90s found a direct link between television viewing and sexual activity: In 1991, although they did not measure media content, [J.L.] Peterson and colleagues found an association between duration of TV viewing and early initiation of sexual intercourse among adolescents. This finding was supported by [J.D.] Brown and [S.F.] Newcomer, who found that junior high school students who watched television with more sexual content were more likely to have initiated sexual activity than those who watched less sexual media content. (Rich) The early initiation of sexual activity in adolescents caused by media exposure deprives them from developing a normal childhood, as they are immersed into a stage that requires a level of maturity in order to maintain a healthy relationship between them and their sexual partner. With an increment of sexual activity in teenagers influenced by television content, chances of getting STDs and premature pregnancies may simultaneously rise due to the lack of maturity and precautions taken while having sexual intercourse. A research revealed very concerning figures: “Each year approximately 4 million adolescents contract a sexually transmitted disease. In addition, approximately 34% of women under the age of 20 become pregnant, accounting for about one fourth of all unintended pregnancies” (Cheng et al.). The importance of having enough maturity when being sexually active is crucial as teenagers are exposed to life changing events like pregnancy and contracting sexually transmitted diseases. The sexualized image that children and teenagers display by wearing makeup and adult apparel, besides being inappropriate for their ages, compromise their personal safety by exposing them to pedophiles and sexual predators. Child beauty pageants are great examples of social events that encourage children to change their image similar to television characters such as the popular Disney princesses. By precociously adopting this appearance, the perception of these girls can be altered by not seeing them entirely as innocent youngsters, but as a possible target for sexual abuse. “‘These little girls are being trained to look and act like sexual bait’, says Nancy Irwin, Psy.D., a Los Angeles-based psychotherapist who specializes in working with sexually abused clients, particularly teenage girls” (Hollandsworth 493). A tragic case to take into consideration is the murder of one of the most famous pageant girls worldwide, JonBenet Ramsey, who was found dead at the age of 6 in a basement in 1996. This case should be taken as an example of what could happen if kids are exposed at such a young age into our inhospitable society. Media sexualization of girls prevents boys from having a healthy relationship with girls because they are portrayed as sexual objects and not as peers. It is important to be aware of the impact of girls’ sexualization in their environment, particularly with boys who are highly impressionable because of their young age: The sexuali[z]ation of girls is not just shattering the lives of girls and women, it is preventing boys and young men from relating to girls and women as complex human beings with so much to offer them. It is preventing boys from forming healthy friendships and working relationships with girls and women. Instead, it is nurturing potentially violent abusers, rapists and johns [clients of prostitutes]. (Bell) It is said that children are the future of our country; based on this premise, we should pay special attention in what they perceive from media. If they are constantly exposed to objectified women, they can grow up believing that they have power over them, representing a possible menace for our society. As these studies have shown, it is evident that there is a link between TV content and the negative effects developed in teenagers and children. The case in Fiji revealed the eating disorders developed by schoolgirls influenced by TV shows. Another study showed how schoolgirls underperformed academically and rejected sports due to their insecurities highlighted by the same type of broadcasted shows. The correlation between media content and initiation of sexual activities in teenagers established in Rich’s article outlined the concerning situations they might encounter due to their premature exposure to an adult stage. Finally, sexualization of teens and children promoted by television content exposes them to dangerous sexual predators and creates the fallacious idea of women as sexual objects in boys. Many people ignore the fact teenagers and children are highly impressionable, therefore, to prevent media from negatively influencing them by putting in danger their personal health and security, it is important to realize that something as apparently innocuous as entertaining shows and commercials can influence something so essential as their own identities. Works Cited Becker, Anne E. “Television, Disordered Eating, and Young Women in Fiji: Negotiating Body Image and Identity during Rapid Social Change.” Everything‘s an Argument: With Readings. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewics, and Keith Walters. Boston: Bedford / San Martin’s, 2013. 505-511. Print. Bell, Rachel. "Sexualization of Girls Teaches Boys to Be Sexually Violent." Is Childhood Becoming Too Sexualized. Ed. Olivia Ferguson and Hayley Mitchell Haugen. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Rpt. from "Our Sexual Obsession Damages Boys as Well as Girls." Independent 15 July 2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 June 2015. Chen, Yi-Chun Yvonnes, et al. "Media Literacy Programs Help Teens Resist Negative Media Images of Teen Relationships." Teen Dating. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Effects of a Peer-Led Media Literacy Curriculum on Adolescents' Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Sexual Behavior and Medial Portrayals of Sex." Health Communication 23 (2008). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 June 2015. Goodman, Ellen. “The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji.” Everything‘s an Argument: With Readings. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewics, and Keith Walters. Boston: Bedford / San Martin’s, 2013. 502-503. Print. Hanes, Stephanie. “Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect.” Everything‘s an Argument: With Readings. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewics, and Keith Walters. Boston: Bedford / San Martin’s, 2013. 482-488. Print. Hollandsworth, Skip. “Toddlers in Tiaras.” Everything‘s an Argument: With Readings. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewics, and Keith Walters. Boston: Bedford / San Martin’s, 2013. 490-499. Print. Rich, Michael. "Media Influence on Teenage Sexuality Is Significant." Teenage Sexuality. Ed. Aarti D. Stephens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Virtual Sexuality: The Influence of Entertainment Media on Sexual Attitudes and Behavior." Managing the Media Monster: The Influence of Media (From Television to Text Messages) on Teen Sexual Behavior and Attitudes. Ed. Jane D. Brown. National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2008. 24-32. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 June 2015. Villena 1