Kids and Media

In today’s world we see different types of media everywhere and in everything we do. We see media all the time and most of the time we don’t even realize it. Media today consists of the cell phones we use everyday and computers we check our emails on. Media also consists of the TV shows we watch, the music we listen to and the magazines we read.

Does all the media we consume really impact our lives and makes us who we are today? For the most part, I think the answer to this question is yes. It’s kind of sad if you think about it. For example, kids remodels these days aren’t their parents or other older people they look up to, but rather Hannah Montana and other television characters. Teenage girls are getting the impression that they are supposed to look like the celebrities that they see on TV or magazines.
Reality check….the celebrities that we see on television are most of the time fake. What do I mean by fake? I mean that celebrities are supposed to look flawless and perfect and that’s all due to makeup artist and airbrushing. Yes most of us adults know that it’s all fake, but for the most part children don’t. I’m not saying that this is all necessarily bad. I just think that parents and adults have to do a lot more explaining on what is right and wrong. Teach kids what real and what’s not.

Teaching children what’s right and wrong is especially important when it comes to the internet. Or should I say what’s safe and unsafe. I think it’s great that kids are becoming more involved in computers and the internet. Our world today is becoming so technologically oriented, but I think that it’s making a predator’s next victim a little more convenient. It is so easy for people to act like someone they really aren’t. Predators know what to say to children to make them trust them and want to meet them. And for the most part, kids don’t know any better.

Not only can children run into predators on the internet but they can also see things and get information they really don’t need to know at such a young age. I think finding information on the internet has gotten a lot better since I had to do research papers in high school but it’s still not perfect. I remember having to do a report on the White house and boy did I get a lot of information. Let me just say it wasn’t all on the White House I was thinking about. I’m not saying that kids should never get on the computer and explore, I just think that parents should try to monitor the best they can on what their child gets into.

When it comes to media and kids there is so much to talk about and so little time. Just remember that kids pick up things quick, both good and bad, so just try to teach them what is important and what’s not. I’m not just talking about the media that comes on the television but also the internet, music and video games. No we aren’t going to be able to protect kids from everything, especially when it’s hard for us as adults to not be influenced, but we can sure try.