Fourth Essay-Is Television such a bad influence for youth? (Final)

Outline-Pattern 3

Paragraph 1-Thesis Statement -Is television a bad influence for youth?

Paragraph 2-Sex and Education-Television provides information about sexual education which in the past was seen as a taboo Refutation: there are more programs showing sex as a game and teenagers imitate what they see.

Paragraph 3-Violence and TV-Television gives movies and shows that entertain us- Refutation: Most of the movies and shows depict violence as something normal and this influences young people behaviour

Paragraph 4-Television and Stereotypes-We all enjoy to watch TV and see the actors we love-Refutation : Most of the shows on TV contain stereotypical images and teenagers want to copy them which lead them to serious problems of self-esteem

Paragraph 5-Conclusion


Is Television such a bad influence for youth?

Mankind on his continuous effort to develop new technologies comes up with outstanding inventions. Perhaps one of the greatest and most enjoyable by anyone would be Television. Since its invention television has been enjoyed by people from all ages. It seems like there could not be anything wrong with it. But what happens when this little harmless invention has a strong influence on people’s lives, people’s lifestyles and even on people’s behaviour. One of the most affected groups by TV would be adolescents. Adolescents tend to copy what they see. They need role models and need to establish their identity. The thing is that not all programs shape adolescents in the most appropriate way.

In the beginning television was seen as an outstanding resource to provide us with information such as news, documentaries among others. Many people argue that this holds to be a very accurate statement since we have access to information which in the past would have been impossible to reach-- But what about sexual education?-- There are television programs which give information about sex and show the topic in a very scientific perspective. But what happens when television instead of acting as a source of trustworthy information turns into one of the most atrocious ways to get soaked up of data. This happens to be true for many adolescents when they watch TV shows which depict sex as a game. A recent study by the Kaizer Family Foundation indicates that the number of sexual scenes on television has nearly doubled since 1998. This might not seem an alarming statistic however the number of sexually transmitted diseases has increased as well along with pregnancy. Moreover, Kaizer foundation found that among shows with sexual content only 14% include a reference to sexual risks. Is this enough to make youth aware of such risks? This only turns sex into mainstream and does not educate teenagers.

Television is really enjoyed by all groups. There is entertainment for children, for teenagers and adults. There are so many options when it comes to entertainment soap operas, stand up comedy, reality shows and the list goes on and on. It is always pleasant to relax in front of the television and have fun either alone or along with your family. Most teenagers love to watch television by themselves. There may not be problem with them watching TV but with what they are watching. Nowadays television displays violence galore and it seems that every day this becomes more natural to audience. This audience includes teenagers which are desensitized by everyday images on TV. Mediascope National Television-a non profit educational organization-found that youth viewers learn aggressive attitudes and behaviours. Thereby, youth hunger for violence increases both in entertainment and in real life. Media does not show the consequences of violence neither in movies nor shows. According to the National Institute on Media and Family only 16% of all programs show the long-term negative effects of violence. For this reason youth perceives violence in the wrong way and models their behaviour.

We all enjoy having a laugh watching our favourite shows and movies. It seems like people on the tube makes us happy in different ways. Some of these people actually make us want to be like them. When does this become a problem? Nowadays, people on TV become the main role to follow for many teenagers. The issue about this is that people on TV seems to be flawless. For this reason teenagers have a hard time by trying to fulfil the requirements shown on TV. What does this mean? It means that teenagers are deluged with false models and later on women fear being unattractive. Sometimes this leads young people to eating disorders and sometimes to death. Media Awareness Network research indicates that constant exposure to images of thin, young female bodies on the TV is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and of course the development of unhealthy eating habits. This happens mainly because women believe these to be the beauty standards and they compare themselves to people on TV. The most astonishing thing is that nowadays this does not only affect women but men as well. Many male teenagers are now becoming insecure about their physical appearance. This happens mainly because of the stereotypes of muscular men shown on TV. According to crisisconnection.org researchers have found out that there has been an increase in the use of anabolic steroids and dietary supplements because these products promise bigger muscles.

Television is a powerful resource to provide us with information. It also gives us entertainment but it is necessary to control its content. Parents, for instance, are the main responsible for what their children watch on TV. Most of the time this seems to be out of their hands or simply they just do not care. This becomes alarming when self esteem problems arise as well as sexual diseases and aggressive behaviours. Certainly there are educational programs but there are even more programs showing sexual content as a game. There are movies which are fun and laughter but violence has increased even more on every show and movie. And finally there are nice shows and movies that will certainly lift our excitement but we are prone to be affected by the people on TV and their looks. It is necessary to raise awareness among teenagers letting them know that TV does not depict reality and educate them to distinguish fantasy from reality. As long as the content on television is not changed dramatically, it is not safe to catalogue it as a positive influence over youth.