“It’s so funny how social/entertainment media was just this fun thing, and now it’s this monster that consumes so many millennial lives”- Cazzie David. It amazes me how these teenagers and kids think that the world revolves around entertainment media. Things that keep their attention like music, television, and video games should become more child/teen friendly because it would promote positivity and productivity. The city of Atlanta is big on media entertainment which is why so many people move here or visit because they have that reputation.
Today’s music is not the same as it used to be back in the days when our grandparents were adolescents. It underwent a dramatic change since then. Lyrics in rock music and “gangsta rap” have become more explicit. Such lyrics are of unique challenge in nowadays surroundings, which poses extraordinary threats to the health and well-being of teenagers. Pregnancy, drug use, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (and different sexually transmitted diseases), accidents, homicide, and suicide have all come to be part of the panorama of ordinary life for many American teens especially African Americans. This article by Shaldea A. Knight explores the opinion of African American parents who are aware that their children listen to rap and hip hop. It investigates the perception of the parents’ views on if the music has a negative impact on the children’s behavior. Results discovered that a lot of the subjects announced that they felt that rap and hip-hop music affected their teenagers’ conduct. Moreover, the subjects depicted improper signals and practices related with tuning in to rap music and felt that the verses were excessively cruel for youthful audience members.
Since TV previously showed up in the country’s family rooms amidst the twentieth century, eyewitnesses have voiced repetitive worry over its effect on watchers, especially kids. This journal by Pediatric Child Health talks about the influence of the media on the psychosocial development of children. Not all television applications are awful, however records displaying the negative results of publicity to violence, irrelevant sexuality and offensive language are convincing. Still, physicians want to suggest persevered studies into the bad and good effects of media on kids and adolescents. The amount of violence on television is on the rise. “The average child sees 12,000 violent acts on television annually, including many depictions of murder and rape. More than 1000 studies confirm that exposure to heavy doses of television violence increases aggressive behavior, particularly in boys. Other studies link television or newspaper publicity of suicides to an increased suicide risk”(Pediatrics, 46). Also television can become addictive to children. Because television takes time far from play and exercising, children who watch lots of tv are much less physically fit and much more likely to eat excessive fat foods. Television viewing makes a good sized contribution to weight problems because top time advertisements sell bad dietary practices.
Figure 1: This graph shows the percentage of kids who watch more television
This article by psychologist studied the violence in video games and television and how it affects kids and teens. A 2010 review by psychologist Craig A. Anderson and others concluded that “the evidence strongly suggests that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and aggressive affect and for decreased empathy and prosocial behavior.” Video games like Call of duty and Grand Theft Auto are violent games that teens and kids love playing and they might take seriously.
Although the media can have a negative effect on children it sometimes isn’t always a bad thing. Music can give children a a calm and happy feeling and not all rap songs are negative. For example, J Cole -Crooked smile which is a song about accepting your flaws, Kanye West- touched the sky which talks about going after your dreams, and Kendrick Lamar- Alright.
Television is not always bad because it can sometime be a great source of information and learning to children. They’re a lot of educational channels that teaches children various things. Also, on the off chance that there’s a subject your kid appreciates, almost certainly, there is a TV show, motion picture, or instructive DVD that talks about the subject in detail. Most children are not able to see a giraffe in the wild or visit a rain forest, however many have seen these things on TV. Gratefully, producers have given us numerous shows and motion pictures that enable watchers to see astonishing film of nature, creatures, society and different societies.
Children can also learn about different places and cultures from around the world with the power of television. Video games can be an intense instrument to enable children to build up certain fundamental abilities. For these reasons there should be more productive and positive content on entertainment media.
