Blog 5- Final

Annotated Bibliography

How does the media portray teenagers and how does it affect them?

1.              Males, Mike A. "Bashing Youth." F.A.I.R.- Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting. N.p., Mar. 1994. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

            The article entitled Bashing Youth, by Mike Males, uncovers “media myths” about teenagers.  Males dispels multiple myths regarding the negative stereotypes the media portrays such as teenage sex and violence.  He states that most sexually transmitted diseases and abortions result from adult/teen sex but are labeled and headlined as “teenage” VD, AIDS, and abortion.  Males cites many articles including Newsweek’s “Teens and AIDS,” Time’s “Kids, Sex &Values,” and  U.S. News & World Report’s “Teenage Sex: Just  Say Wait.”  What these articles don’t include is how some of these pregnant teens have a history of being physically and sexually abused, come from disadvantaged families, and are impregnated by men.  Teenage Violence is portrayed similarly by the media.  Newsweek’s “Teen Violence: Wild in the Streets” and “Kids and Guns,” U.S. News’s “When Killers Come to Class” and Time’s “Big Shots”  are a few publications that give emphasis on “teen” violence.  The media blames today’s youth for the crime rate but doesn’t give the same attention to adult violence against youth.

            Mike A. Males worked with young teens and families in social programs and in the Youth Conservation Corps for twelve years before returning to the University of California in 1994.  In 1996, his book, The Scapegoat Generation, was published.  This book examined the way American adults perceive the youth and explained these “myths.”  In 1999, he completed a Ph.D. Social Ecology at UC Irvine.  Males has written multiple articles on youth issues for peer-reviewed journals such as The Lancet, Scribner’s Encyclopedia of Violence in America, Suicide % Life-Threatening Behavior, and many more. He published this article in 1994, but I found it to still be credible. The points he makes in this web article are in correspondence with my other sources he is just very opinionated. He has also had articles published in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post.  Males has written many books such as Framing Youth: Ten Myths about the Next Generation (1998), Smoked: Why Joe Camel is Still Smiling (1999), and Kids and Guns: How Politicians, Experts, and the Press Fabricate Fear of Youth (2000).  He is now a senior researcher for the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice and teaches sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The information is important in answering my question because Males simply states the myth then dismisses it while backing it up with other sources.

2.         Faulkner, Sean. "Adolescence and the Portrayal of Teens in Film and Television." Community Counseling Center: Center for Child and Family Development. N.p., 29 July 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.

            This article depicts the negative stereotypes that movies and television create.  Films present situations in which young teenagers may relate- high school, drama, relationships, parties, conflicts and more.  Most movies and television shows include sex, alcohol and drugs because “in the eyes of Hollywood, these are the cornerstone of adolescence.”  These shows and movies give teens a bad reputation and therefore are resented and looked down upon by adults. These shows and movies have a negative effect on the psychological and emotional development of teenagers. Because so much sex is shown, teens feel their lives aren’t normal unless they are having sex.  Although certain films and shows have a negative effect on the emotional growth of teens, according to a study conducted by Jeanne Steele (2002), movies play an important role in the life of a teenager because they provide an opportunity for teens to see different parts of the world in which they may never be able to see if it weren’t for television. The portrayal of teens in the media can have a huge impact on teens, negatively affecting their psychological and emotional growth but somewhat positively affecting their cognitive development.

            Sean Faulkner, author of “Adolescence and the Portrayal of Teens in Film and Television,” received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Sonoma State University then earned his Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of San Francisco. He is a California registered Marriage and Family therapist intern. He was one of the two Graduate Merit Scholarship Awardees’ at the USF Center for Child and Family Development for two years, where he previously volunteered for over a year. Currently, Faulkner is an intern at a Catholic school in San Francisco and works with the Collaborative Autism Training and Support (CATS) Program in Sonoma County. This article is very vital to my research because Faulkner describes the effects the media has on teen’s psychosocial and emotional development, the only one of my sources to state this.

3.      O'Keeffe, Gwenn S., and Kathleen C. Pearson. "Clinical Report- The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and families." Pediatrics- Official Journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics 28 Mar. (2011). Web. 29 Feb. 2012.

                This Journal from the “American Academy of Pediatrics,” describes the affect social media has on children, adolescents, and families. The authors state the importance of children and teens using the social media as well as the damaging effects. Using the internet is a risk itself because of the permanent “digital footprint,” Facebook depression, advertisements, and cyberbulling and online harassment. The internet can be dangerous and whatever is put online, is there forever. Kids are being bullied online through mainly Facebook and Twitter, causing depression. Pediatricians now have to educate families on the risks of using social media sites.

                The American Association of Pediatrics is managed by a Board of Directors. The AAP consists of 60,000 pediatricians, pediatric medical sub-specialists and pediatric surgical specialists. The AAP works with organizations on grant-funded projects. They promote access to healthcare for children, teens and young adults, shaping many child health and safety issues. The AAP has published more than 300 titles for consumers and over 500 for physicians and other healthcare professionals, making it the largest pediatric publishing program in the world. This article not only tells of the negative effects on teens from using the internet, but families as well, making this an important source for my research.

4.      Warner, Jennifer. "Media May Prompt Teen Sex." CBS News Health Watch. N.p., 6 Apr. 2006. Web. 12 Mar. 2012.

            This article from CBS News Healthwatch summarizes of a study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics. Researchers surveyed over 1,000 middle school students in the state of North Carolina between the ages of 12 and 14 and again when they were 16 years of age, measuring the frequency of each teen’s exposure to sexual content on television, in movies, music, and magazines. The teenagers were divided into five groups from the lowest to the highest amount of exposure. The researchers found that the earlier the exposure the sexual content, the greater the risk of early teen sex. The study conducted also showed that a parents’ attitude towards sex counts. Clear communication about sex between children and their parents can have a huge influence on teenage sexual behavior.

            CBS News Healthwatch is a division of CBS News that publishes articles concerning the health and well-being of Americans. These articles contain information on weight loss, diets, sex, prescription drugs and more. The study in this article was conducted by researchers from the American Association of Pediatrics. The AAP has published over 300 articles for consumers and over 500 for healthcare providers. This article is essential to my research because it provides a study showing how the media can affect teenagers in at least one part of their life, being sexual behavior, rather than an individual simply stating their thoughts and feelings on the subject.

5.     Teen Health and the Media. Teen Futures Media Network, College of Education, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

            This website contains a variety of information pertaining to how the health of teenagers is affected by the media. The website includes articles on tobacco, alcohol and drugs, teen sexuality, violence, and body image and nutrition.

            Tobacco kills 45 Americans every hour of the day- 400,000 people each year. Even though advertisements for tobacco are prohibited from television, alcohol ads are some of the most popular and widespread ads. During the 2003 Super Bowl, Budweiser manufacturers spent over $20 million dollars on a total of eleven commercials. Media also plays an important role in teenage sexuality. More than half of all programs on television contain sexual content. 72% of teens said that T.V.  has somewhat of an influence on their sexual behavior. Media violence has been found to contribute to an increase in aggressive behavior in teenagers; some children and teens even develop a fear of becoming a victim. The media has an overwhelming effect on body image. The food industry spends billions of dollars marketing food that is not beneficial for an individual’s body. Although most commercials and advertisements are for junk food, the media uses incredibly thin models which have created confusion as well as danger for many young women.

            Since 1994, Teen Futures Media Network, College of Education, University of Washington has focused on the health issues concerning the media and teens in an attempt to prevent teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, violence, and body image. This site was created with funding from the Department of health from Washington State and has experience in the education of media-literacy. This information is valuable to my research because it contains useful statistics, and tells of the long term effects of using products such as tobacco or engaging in sexual behavior.