Bullock 1

Mass Media: Influences On Children and Teens

By Kirstie Bullock
Have you thought about taking a step back to
evaluate the type of culture were taught to
live in? The moment we have a child, we
have their futures and how they will evolve
engraved in the back of our minds. Every
parents nightmare is the daughter from
Thirteen, who explores into drugs, sex and
crime. But as human beings, we prefer to
place the responsibility on genetics, rather
than assessing the environment the child is
raised in.
Genes set the range of possibilities that can be observed in a population, but the
characteristics of ay individual within that range are determined by environmental factors and
experience. (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner, Nock 111). This is the controversy called Nature
versus Nurture. Most dont believe that the environment is the major factor in the childs
behavior. However, it is a larger component than most consider. I hear the age of girls that are
wearing mini skirts getting younger and younger. The exposure children have to mass media is
increasingly overwhelming. We have so much technology, its almost impossible for children not
to be exposed to mass media. When they grow into the teenage years, these influences advance at
a faster rate.
By separating each gender, it would be easier to understand how the media is targeting
each gender. Cortney S. Warren Ph.D. emphasizes, Specifically, you need to look eternally 18

Bullock 2

years old with perfect skin, big eyes surrounded by long eyelashes, white teeth, and a very thin
yet feminine figure. If you do not meet this ideal and are deemed unattractive, there is nothing
you can to do make up for it. (Warren, The Mass Media, Body Image, and Self-Deception).
She certainly is making a bold statement by saying women are expected to look perfect, or you
are worthless. Women seem to have an expectation to be like Lucy Ricardo. Although that life
may be glamorous for some, we dont live in the 1950s anymore. Most dont find being a trophy
wife satisfying, but they still feel the needs to be perfect.
Years ago, shortly before texting was released as a new technology, I was a teenager that
always had my nose in magazines like Seventeen, CosmoGirl, TeenVogue, and Glamour. These
magazines were full of skinny, and perfect looking girls and told me things like what make up I
should buy, how to get perfectionism, how to get the perfect relationships; you name it. They
imply the perfect life. And girls are looking for this stuff, trying to impress boys. So, during
my entire teenage years, I believed I was so fat and ugly because I didnt look like the models in
the magazines. I was so depressed and hated
life. Like other teens, I considered suicide
frequently. But you wouldnt guess that
now, would you? To the right is a classic
Ralph Lauren ad. To the left is the published
ad, to the right, the models true figure. As a
teenage girl, how would you see yourself?
Recently, I stumbled upon a
Glamour magazine that I didnt order that
was addressed to me (conveniently). I

Bullock 3

looked through every page of the

magazine. Most of the pages of the
magazine included women that were
airbrushed and incredibly skinny.
There were multiple Revlon Ads
throughout the magazine depicting sex
with their makeup. The one I found most shocking was their Airbrush Effect Makeup, which
states, Intimacy creates understandingand understanding creates love. Anas Nin, Author.
(Glamour 62). I was most shocked that they were relating intimacy to makeup. To have
intimacy, you have to be beautiful. I could go on, but this entire magazine was full of ads and
articles such as these. And men also fall victim to photoshop, demonstrated by Justin Bieber.
Aside from this, it doesnt address teenage boys. What are they exposed to? Well, they
are also exposed to similar mass media with similar results. My boyfriend, Josh, also had
depression when he was a teenager. When I asked Josh about his friends and himself, he said
each never looked for the same things that girls do. However, he did say that the area that
affected him the most were the commercials that played on the television. Whenever he would
see a man that would look better than him in a commercial, he would feel bad about himself. To
be specific, he loves to watch basketball on ESPN; I see most commercials targeted at men.
Imagine teenage boys watching these commercials during their favorite teams games.
If a teenage boy wants to watch basketball or football games, hes going to see
commercials that are targeting men. They arent limited to ESPN. They are on plenty of other
channels, such as FX, Spike TV, TNT, USA, etc. Teenage boys grow up under the impression by
the mass media that their lives should be a certain way, just like teenage girls. For every 10-15

Bullock 4

minutes that a man tells you to be a man, the viewer strives to be a man. Now imagine the
significance this means to a teenage boy that wants to be a man.
Sam Femiano and Mark Nickerson wrote an article about the impacts of how media
images of men affect all of our lives. In particular, they state, They are damaging because they
narrow our notions of what men can be and do. They affect womens expectations of men in
relationships and mens expectations of other men in work settings or in friendships (Femiano
and Nickerson, How do Media Images of Men Affect Our Lives?). This statement is powerful
because the media places men as the center of our world, and they have to be a certain way to be
worth anything in any setting.
Every television show or movie has placed an importance in physical appearance. The
movie 300 has lighting perfect for showing mens cut abs and toughness. Even Nickelodeon
shows such as Sam and Cat display the girls as skinny and pretty, with one as sarcastic and mean
and the other as ignorant and ditzy. Disney is infamous for their unrealistic portrayals of women.
There are also TV shows portraying uneducated children as socially acceptable.
For both genders, this can lead to many serious issues, such as violence, aggression,
substance abuse, obesity, eating disorders, developmental issues, school and learning issues, and
possible other health effects. Youth spend an average of >7 hours/day using media, and the vast
majority of them have access to a bedroom television, computer, the Internet, a video-game
console, and a cell phone. (Strasburger, Jordan and Donnerstein, Health Effects of Media on
Children and Adolescents) This seems like a large number of hours for a child or adolescent to
spend time using media, but this gives us an idea that they are exposed to media for more parts of
the day than we would expect.

Bullock 5
Depression is one of the highest
mental disorders in the United States.
According to the National Institute of
Mental Health, 11% of adolescents have a
disorder related to depression by 18 years
old. Girls are more likely to be depressed
than boys. They have also stated in this
same article that the risk of depression

increases, as they get older. And it doesnt end here. People believed that children could not get
depression. Teens with depression were often dismissed as being moody or difficult. (National
Institute of Mental Health, Depression in Children and Adolescents (Fact Sheet)). This is
disturbing that our children, and especially our teenagers are being told that their depression is
not real.
Because teenagers are exposed to more media nowadays, we have to think about how
often they are reminded of their gender roles. A man is supposed to be smart, strong and rich. He
sees commercials about the biggest trucks or the fanciest cars, or how to look like a real man
with a beer in his hand and a bunch of women surrounding him. If a teenage boy sees this, he
wants to be that man. Going back to what a woman is supposed to be: shes supposed to be a
Barbie doll who is valuable based on her looks, but isnt valued for being smart, funny or nice if
she doesnt look like Barbie first.
It is no wonder teenagers have the label of moody. They want to be these people that
they see on television or in other forms of media like print or the Internet. We have been taught
not to value ourselves, which is shown by the never ending commercials and ads on the Internet

Bullock 6

and in magazines that claim fast weight loss, hair growth, better make-up, etc. If each teenager is
reached by ads, articles, posts or pictures that imply what beauty, perfectionism, or what it means
to be a man, imagine the increase in mental disorders that go unnoticed. It can stem off into
bullying, suicide, drug use, eating disorders or other serious health related issues.
The biggest question that everyone asks: So how are we supposed to overcome the effects
of mass media? Its not likely that the advertising and entertainment industry will change
because they are trying to keep their viewers interested. Typically, they are adults that are hard to
keep interested. Responsibility should be placed in their hands, but as stated at the beginning,
most like to place the responsibility elsewhere. The best places that changes can be made are
with ourselves. It is up to you to find what takes your teenager away from their media device.
According to Strasburger, Jordan and Donnerstein:
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended that parents limit total
screen time for children older than 2 years to no more than 1 to 2 hours/dayParents also
need to avoid exposing young children to PG-13- and R-rated moves, given the
prevalence of violent and sexual content in higher-rated filmsIn addition, parents can
be mindful of their own media practices, because studies have shown that the strongest
predictor of childrens heavy media use is parents heavy media use (Strasburger,
Jordan, Donnerstein, Health Effects of Media on Children and Adolescents).
This would mean that we would have to watch what our children and teenagers are
exposed to. Because they live with us, we should be limiting the negative media impacts they
may be exposed to.
In conclusion, the media has a large impact on children and adolescents. They can suffer
from depression that can lead to drug abuse, suicide, bullying and other health effects. Girls are
more likely to be depressed than boys. Girls are expected to look like Barbie dolls, while boys
are supposed to be strong, smart and rich. These are exploited through commercials, print,
Internet, and many other media formats.

Bullock 7

If you have a teenager currently, how would you reach out to them? If you had a
teenager, how would you reach out to them? How would you communicate with your children
once they become teenagers? Its time to listen and no longer deny their emotions, feelings and
thought processes. Because you are the answer to your childs success with your support and
education. We can reshape our culture.

Bullock 8

Works Cited
Depression in Children and Adolescents (Fact Sheet). National Institute of Mental Health. n.d.
Web. 27 February 2015.
Femiano, Sam and Mark Nickerson. How do Media Images of Men Affect Our Lives? Center
for Media Literacy. n.d. Web. 27 February 2015.
Revlon. Glamour February 2015: 62-63. Print.
Schacter, Daniel L., Daniel T. Giblert, Daniel M. Wegner and Matthew K. Nock. Psychology, 3rd
ed. Worth Publishers, 2014. Print.
Strasburger ,Victor C., MD, Amy B. Jordan, PhD, Ed Donnerstein, PhD. Health Effects of
Media on Children and Adolescents. American Academy of Pediatrics Publications. 28
October 2009. Web. 27 February 2015.
Warren, Cortney S. The Mass Media, Body Image, and Self-Deception. Psychology Today. 4
June 2014. Web. 27 February 2015.

Pictures Cited
Barbies Proportions v. A Real Womans. Digital image.
Http://themirrorreflects.com/2013/01/13/real-life-barbies/. n.d. Web. 27 April 2015.
Mihajilovic, Tanja. Ralph Lauren Controversy 2009. Digital image.
Http://wat4lunch.blogspot.com/2014/03/lookat-above-ad.html. 2 Mar. 2014. Web. 27
April 2015.
300 Wallpaper. Digital image. Http://wall.alphacoders.com/big.php?i=102036. n.d. Web. 27
April 2015.

Bullock 9

I Won't Eat. Digital image. Http://blog.gofeminin.de/blog/seeone_457564_9091264/My-World/iWon-t-Eat. 4 Sept. 2014. Web. 27 April 2015.