The Negatives of the Media on Teenagers

The media puts an interesting view on the creation of oneself and this construction often effects ones mental well being. The pressure of taking the right picture, with the right filter, wearing the right outfit, at the right place, with the right people can be too much pressure for teenagers. Teenagers often compete with digitally altered images from magazines, commercials and social media in hopes to receive an abundance of likes from social media pages for validation.  Because of the media, teenagers are conditioned to project only ones best on social media profiles as a way of feeling accepted and even beautiful. This essay will discuss how the media affects teenagers’ self esteem, self image and sex. McMillian 2Adolescence is probably the most extreme period in the life of an individual.

During this stage of life, teenagers often face the struggles of fitting in with peers and an array of hormones that cause so many psychological and emotional challenges. During this time teens began to develop a concept of who they are, become independent, and build self esteem.  Some culture teaches that one’s worth is directly related to beauty. The media also equates beauty with popularity in television shows. The popular kids are always the coolest, well liked by everyone and never struggle with issues. These unrealistic standards become more dangerous once teens reach college, where they face higher stakes, harder work, and no parental supervision. It is so important to teach teenagers how to build positive self images and provide guidance during these stressful times. The effects of body image on self-esteem can be especially powerful during the teenage years. Self image is defined as one’s conception of oneself or of one’s role (Merriam-Webster 1939).

The media’s perception of beauty is sometimes distorted and can cause teenagers to view themselves negatively.  Poor body image comes from negative thoughts and feelings about appearance, and a healthy body image is made up of thoughts and feelings that are positive. Models and celebrities often boast about how easy it is to lose weight but forfeit the truth about how many plastic surgeries were involved. Plastic surgery is not a solution to address a physical need to be something that emotionally one may feel is lacked. The standards of  being thin is forced upon teenagers with ads that endorse brazilian but lifts, breast augmentations and abs of steele.  Unfortunately, seemingly innocent messages can do unintended damage including bad  McMillian 3mood and body dissatisfaction (Brown &Tiggemann 2016). Teenagers deal with these pressures to become the ideal person in hopes that this will be the pursuit of happiness.

When these pressures are unfulfilled some teens seek out drastic measures. Eating disorders, anxiety, depression and even suicide are common amongst teens that are unable to cope during these stressful times.  Sexual behavior among teenagers is a major public health concern. Television viewing remains the most common medium and platform, and it makes up the largest chunk of adolescents’ media use, accounting for 4.5 hours of media time out of nearly 11 total hours spent with media daily (Rideout & UG, Roberts 2010). Many teenagers view racy television show that spark curiosity. Highly sexualized music videos that glamorize sodomy as well as drug and alcohol use are among main stream media. Social networking sites are places where teens can encounter sexual text, photos, and videos and can also create and post such materials themselves. It is important that teenagers are informed of how engaging these risky behaviors can have a profound effect one’s life.  The media has a negative effect on the lives of teenagers.

Teens are very impressionable and without proper guidance and support can begin to engage in risky behaviors.  Some of what the media displays can have a lasting effect that creates long term issues such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Parents should encourage coping strategies for and help with developing a positive self image. In doing so, teens can understand the difference between the negatives and positives of the media.

Work Cited

1. CLARK, NANCY. ‘Social Media and Body Image: #Fitspiration at Its Worst.’ American Fitness, vol. 35, no. 2, Spring2017, pp. 66-68. Brown, Z., & Tiggemann. Attractive celebrity and peer images on Instagram: Effect on women’s mood and body image. Body Image, M. 2016. 19, 37–43.Rideout VJ, Foehr UG, Roberts DF. Generation M2: Media in the lives of 8- to 18-year-olds. Menlo Park, CA: Henry J. K