Question

speech on topic media impact on teenagers

Answer 1

1. Help Develop Awareness:

Most teens live a sheltered life. But with exposure to various media outlets, they can develop awareness about society and the world. This cultural and political awareness is vital if we want to groom a generation of socially responsible citizens. With news channels, magazines, social networking sites blaring about world happenings, teens can realize that there is more to the world than just what is happening in the ‘hood.


2. Help Develop Social Skills:

Many teens are socially awkward. Media gives them the chance to groom their social skills. It also gives them the chance to expand their social circle and develop new friendships. Other benefits include social confidence, heightened literacy in the media, and more social support. Social media diversifies your teen’s social skills, which in turn helps him navigate successfully through modern society.

3. Inspire Them:

When your teen watches an action flick, don’t just despair about the violence. With a little guidance, they can use the movie as inspiration! Maybe your teen will decide to take up martial arts training, all thanks to a Bruce Lee movie! Teenagers look up to celebrities, and when a celebrity tells them to stay off drugs, they just might listen.

4. Help Fine Tune Motor Skills:

Video games draw a lot of flak these days. But there’s some good in video games too! There are a few video games that can help teens develop and fine-tune their motor skills and coordination.

5. Help Develop Reading And Writing Skills:

When a celebrity talks of her favorite book, your teenager might be tempted to grab a book too. Not just that, if your teenager wants to be a part of blogs, chat rooms, etc., she’ll need to improve her reading and writing skills.

But these benefits cannot sugar-coat the negatives that come with media. There is some truth in what people say today.



Negative Media Influence On Teenagers:

We seem to be drowning in information. But for teenagers, this information overload can be the cause for serious concern. Check out here the negative social media influence on teenagers:

1. Distorted Body Image:

The world is full of perfect people today. With perfect skin, body, and hair – that’s what it appears like to the young today. Thanks to Photoshop, the standard of beauty has become impossible to achieve. And these images are everywhere. This has led to distorted body image among a number of teenagers. Anorexia and bulimia are a fall out of this body image crisis. And this is not limited just to the girls. Even boys are made to feel ‘less’ manly unless they fit the image popularized by media.

2. Making Violence Normal:

The amount of violence in video games and movies today is scary. And teenagers spend several hours every day watching these scenes of gore. Violence becomes their reality. Many teenagers are unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy. This makes violence ‘normal’ for them. The number of school shootings in USA is an indication of this very fact.


3. Making Everything Commercial:

Happiness comes at a price. At least that’s the message teenagers get through media. Their life would be perfect if only you’d buy them that hot new game, that happening dress. Advertisers target teenagers to ramp up their revenues. But teenagers fall prey to the idea of commercialization of happiness.

4. Obesity:

Chances are your teen today spends most of her time in front of the TV or computer. Playing outside has become a rarity. Add to that bad eating habits, and you have an obesity epidemic at hand.

5. Score Low In School:

Teens who watch too much television have lower scores in exams. Also, such teens are not good readers as they spend more time in front of the television. A study reveals that individuals with high degree scores watch less television in their childhood and teenage. Another study reveals that different media affects school work differently.

Third-grade scorers with computers in their bedrooms did better than those without computers.

Third-grade scorers with televisions in their bedrooms did worse on their academics than those without TV in their bedrooms.

The media today is powerful and omnipresent. You just can’t escape its tentacles. And you don’t need to! Remember, media is just a tool and like any other tool, how you use it depends on you.