Are You Really Protecting Your Troubled Teen from the Media?

Many well-intentioned parents go to great lengths to protect their children from exposure to violence, sex, and profanity in the media. But in today’s child-hostile media environment, such precautions are simply not enough. To truly protect your children from harmful influences, you must learn to look beyond arbitrary ratings to the messages being conveyed by the media. During our waking hours, we are bombarded by an unceasing flow of television, radio, newspapers, magazine, books, billboards and signs, packaging and marketing materials, video games, and Internet communications. Each of these communications are designed with motives, some of which may not be obvious to the casual observer. To reach their goals, media designers know that they must first catch our interest. The techniques designers use to grab our attention often include subtle messages about values, lifestyles, and points of view. The cumulative impact of these messages influences our decisions and shapes our worldview. Children are particularly vulnerable to media influence. Children learn social behavior through observing and replicating the behavior of others, including those that they observe in the media. Pioneering studies by renowned psychologist Albert Bandura, Ph.D., showed that children are likely to imitate the violent behavior they observe. Subsequent research confirms that children who are exposed to violence in the media view aggression as an acceptable way to deal with conflict. Other studies have shown that removing negative media influence can result in improved behavior. A Stanford University study by Thomas Robinson, M.D., found that children who cut down on television and video games decrease combativeness by 40 percent and verbal aggression by 50 percent. You can combat harmful media influence by acquiring a skill known as media literacy. Media literacy is the ability to identify and evaluate the messages behind news and entertainment. Becoming a media literate parent will allow you to filter out harmful messages that could distort your children’s view of life. Parental involvement and guidance on media-related decisions are essential to making positive use of media while retaining family values. If you feel like you’re already walking a tightrope between protecting your children from unhealthy influence and depriving them of fun and relaxation, don’t lose heart. As with most parenting, caring is half the battle. Obtaining media literacy is not difficult and will pay big dividends in your children’s development. Implementing a few simple techniques will put you on your way to becoming a media literate parent. •Ask Questions. Asking questions about media messages will help you identify those that are not in line with your family’s values. The Center for Media Literacy has identified five key questions that will enable you to make informed decisions:oWho created this message? oWhat creative techniques are used to attract my attention? oHow might different people understand this message differently than me? oWhat values, lifestyles, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message? oWhy is this message being sent? •Discuss Media Literacy With Your Children. Talking to your children about media literacy can be an effective way to convey your values while promoting positive relationships with your children. Watch television programming with your children and ask them to identify messages that relate to sex, violence, drugs or alcohol. You can then discuss the underlying messages in light of the values embraced by your family. These discussions can take place anytime. Even short, impromptu discussions during commercial breaks can effectively communicate media literacy to your children. •Practice What You Preach. In spite of the common parental admonition to “do as I say, not as I do,” your children are more likely to do what you do than what you say. Show your children that you take media discernment seriously by changing the channel the next time a sitcom character jokes around about drugs, alcohol, or one night stands. Instead of covering your children’s eyes during sex scenes at the movies, walk out. Letting your children see you act out your beliefs will drive home their importance and encourage them to model your behavior. •Supervise Your Children’s Media Influences. As your children are learning about media literacy, they need to have clear direction on what is or isn’t allowed. Setting up guidelines, requiring permission to watch films, and monitoring computer use allows your children to understand what sort of things you view as inappropriate. Applying these techniques will protect your children from negative media influences and teach them to make the right choice when confronted with a media-related decision.