Blog 4- Draft 2

                 Throughout my research, nothing really surprised me. The sources I viewed agreed with my opinion for the most part. In “Bashing Youth- Media Myths about Teenagers,” Mike Males mentions many well-known publications that portray teens as violent, promiscuous, having STDS, and more. “On teenage violence, the media picture is similarly skewed: ‘Teen Violence: Wild in the Streets’ (Newsweek, 8/2/92), ‘When Killers Come to Class’ (U.S. News, 11/8/93), and ‘Big Shots’ (Time, 8/2/93) all follow a standard format,” (Males par. 16). Males stands up for teens stating that the media gives teens an image as to what they are supposed to act like, so they do.

                I had thought about the impact of media and teens but never really analyzed it and got other opinions. I had no idea there were more people that believe the media has a negative influence on teenage lives and it is at fault for the way kids act today. “During the 2003 Super Bowl, Anheuser-Busch, manufacturers of Budweiser, captured the most air –time minutes with 11 commercials. The price tag: over $20 million,” (Teen Health Alcohol par. 2). Alcohol ads are all over television networks, movies, magazines and other forms of the media. According to Teen Health and the Media, a study found that sexual content on T.V. influences three out of four high school students “somewhat”. The media portrays sex as romantic and comical. Young kids are seeing these scenes and hearing sexual innuendos, they are curious. As teens, they take their curiosity to the next level and participate in this risky behavior.

                So how does the media portray teenagers exactly? The media portrays teens as rebellious, promiscuous, alcoholics, drug addicts, wild, irresponsible, and uncontrollable. This is why adults have such a negative image of teens. When a child turns thirteen, he or she is officially a teenager. This doesn’t mean he or she will disobey their parents, party all the time, or fail classes. I have heard adults say, “oh wait until she’s a teenager, have fun with that,” or “oh yeah, sixteen is the worst.” I had my moments when I was living at home, I would fight with my parents if they didn’t let me stay out past 11 P.M. or didn’t let me stay at my boyfriend’s house overnight. I would say things like “c’mon mom, we’ve been dating for two years. I’ll be home in the morning.” My mom would hear about pregnant teens and see movies about teens having sex, she assumed I was too. The media put an image into adult minds as well as teenage minds of what we’re supposed to act like. The kids on Skins or Project X have sex, do drugs, party, occasionally become violent and fight each other.