Leah Register Observation Journal Children and Adolescents in the Media 12/7/12 1) My favorite show as a child I would have

to say was the Power Rangers. I was probably around 7-9 years old, and my brother and I would reenact parts of it together. I would pick my favorite colored ranger, and reenact each episode. The content was very violent, the plot would have the rangers defeat all the bad guys they would meet, and some of the plots would escalade if there were harder enemies to defeat. It was probably not the most appropriate show for my age, considering the violence probably carried over into my actual life, but it also taught me to be confident, and not to fear bullies or the bad guys but to stand up to them. A tv show that is popular with kids today would be Disney Channel shows such as The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. The show is about 2 boys who grow up in strange surroundings such as an expensive suite where their mom works, and even a cruise ship. Its an extravagant lifestyle, but its something ordinary kids can dream for because they life that lifestyle because the only reason why they live it, is because their mom works in it. 2) Charted time using the media: Tuesday10-1015am - using the radio for an alarm clock 11-1130- using internet to check facebook 12-115- used internet for my online class text book 130-3- used computer to create a video for my internship, which is then posted to youtube 315-330- listened to radio in the car on the way home 345-6- media multi-tasking by browsing the internet on facebook, pinterest, and etsy, while also watching The Walking Dead.

630-6 used the internet to check for recipes for dinner 9-12- used internet for homework, facebook, and also media multi-tasked some during this time for television. This is about the average amount of media I used in a typical day. It is very much how an average child uses the media, except I probably do more homework and check facebook more than an average child, but they also have their own source of fun sites online that could probably be substituted as such. Although children use the internet for research, they dont spend as much time for research as much as a college student is expected to do. 3) I watched an episode of ICarly and the theme of the episode was that there was a girl who was a huge fan of Carlys show, and became almost a stalker and the episode has all of the characters trying to ditch her whenever she would show up to the studio. The main characters use sassy, sarcastic humor to portray their discomfort with this stalker-like character, who says nothing rude to the characters, but in return is treated rudely by the main characters. One of the main characters, Sam, is especially sassy and sarcastic, and consistently cracks rude comments towards the new character in the show. Based off of cognitive processing, a 4 year old would probably not understand the plot line of the show. They would hear the enthusiastic tone of their voice, and the display of the people as they are shown to have almost perfect features like a doll, with their perfect hair and shiny makeup. They would also enjoy the obvious enthusiasm and ridiculous movements, such as their dance moves, loud sounds and energetic attitudes. Theres so much going on with this show, visually and sound wise, that even if the 4 year olds didnt understand the plot, they would still find it entertaining. A 10 year old would be more understanding of the plot. They would understand the scenario, but they would probably start to reenact the attitudes of the main characters, and learn their social skills by the way these characters behave on the screen. It becomes more than just entertainment for these kids, but rather it

becomes a form of education for their social behavior. The show could also relate to a similar situation that they have encountered at school and its a comfort for them to relate to. I personally believe that the show is aimed for kids in middle school years. The characters are living the life which many kids admire, especially those in middle school. The amount of immaturity, along with the scenarios dealing with relationships of people around them, very much coincides with those that a middle school kid would encounter. 4) When I was a child, we did not have cable, nor did we have internet. My mom controlled what we listened to on the radio when driving us to school everyday, and I knew nothing else outside of that. I was in a controlled atmosphere when it came to the media, and listened to nothing but Christian music probably until middle school when music actually started to matter in my life. Other students started talking about other artists and specific songs, making me curious to discover what kind of music was out there. I had no television in my room, for there was only one tv in the whole house. By the time I was a teenager, we did have cable and the internet for school purposes, but my use was not restricted in any way. Occasionally, my mom would wake up in the middle of the night and tell me to get off of it if I was still online, but I was allowed to use it however I wished. The same applied with music on the radio, and television. Once I became a teenager, I was allowed to do as I was not allowed to do when I was younger. I believe I should have had some rules towards the mass media when I was a teenager, but the internet should be guarded in some way until probably high school, and only if that person is mature enough to handle it. 5) The show I chose to watch on PBS kids, was Clifford the Big Red Dog. This show was about a giant red dog and his dog friends, and their everyday adventures. These adventures include playing games with each other such as hide and go seek, tag, and playing pretend with each other. They teach

valuable lessons to viewers such as playing fair with your friends, learning how to share toys and such, as well as how to be a good friend. The show I chose to watch from the Cartoon Network channel was The Fairly Odd Parents. The plot of this show was about a young boy with neglectful parents, who was granted fairy god parents to help raise the boy. Both sets of parents were given less than admirable traits, such as extreme nave behaviors, also known as being stupid, and made the young boy look much older and smarter than his own parents. While his fairy god parents were more supportive, emotionally, they too were not portrayed as being responsible adults. This could give young children the idea that they are smarter and have better intentions than their own parents, which can be portrayed as disrespect for what their parents say. This also was a lot less relatable than the Clifford show, because at least in Clifford it was socially educative on how to treat relationships with the people around you. Fairly Odd Parents does not have an applicable lesson that children can use for their own lives. It may allow them to further their imagination, what with the idea of fairy god parents and such, but that brings the story plot less from reality. I believe that a child younger than 5 or 6 should not be allowed to watch Fairly Odd Parents because as young children are soaking up everything that is shown to them, especially in the media, they would not be able to completely understand the material and the situations of this network. Things move too fast for them to fully comprehend, leaving them more prone for ADHD later in life. They will grow accustomed to being entertained and not having to find ways to entertain themselves. Chapter 2 1) The first magazine ad I found when searching through a kids magazine, was a cereal add for Fruity Pebbles cereal. This does fall into one of the top 4 categories of childrens ads. Sugary food has aimed most of their advertisements towards children. This cereal used popular cartoon

characters, the Flinstones, to appeal to children. The ad is a picture that has the Flinstones standing together to put a star on the top of this Christmas tree made of the cereal. It looks like a giant candy bar in the shape of the tree, which really appeals to children because it just looks delicious, and not at all nutritious. A 4 or 5 year old might get the impression that the cereal actually comes as the Christmas tree shown on the box. They also might want the cereal just because their favorite cartoon character is on the box, not so much for the actual cereal inside. A 10 year old would be old enough to understand that the cereal inside does not come in a Christmas tree form, but they would still be targets for the ads because the ads get children thinking about the sugary cereal. Putting something in their minds is a way to get them to want the cereal, especially using aesthetically pleasing images. 2) The first guideline that I found easy for any advertiser to follow, was that 1. Advertisers should avoid social stereotyping and appeals to prejudice, and are encouraged to incorporate minority and other groups in advertisements and to present positive role models whenever possible. This clearly states that discrimination is strictly forbidden. Another one is, Advertisers are encouraged to capitalize on the potential of advertising to serve an educational role and influence positive personal qualities and behaviors in children, e.g., being honest and respectful of others, taking safety precautions, engaging in physical activity. In many of the ads targeted towards children, although they are eating really unhealthy foods, they are still out and about doing physical activities, which I find quite ironic. 2 guidelines which I believe to be crossed every now and again are: 1) Advertising should not stimulate childrens unreasonable expectations about product quality or performance. I say this because just like the magazine ad for the Fruity Pebbles cereal, theres a huge Christmas tree on the front cover with cartoon characters all over it. They may be under

the impression that theres a lot more to what theyre getting than just cereal. 2) Advertising should be neither deceptive nor unfair, as these terms are applied under the Federal Trade Commission Act, to the children to whom it is directed. Unfair by whose standards? There are so many ads where they show a child taking one bite of a cereal or food, which results in them getting some sort of special treatment, which seems deemed unfair if you ask me. But by their standards, its fair. I have to say that this rule is broken more often than any other rule. It has almost become a standard thing to break for sugary food ads, because its what sells it. Chapter 3 1) The opening song and video is more fast-paced than I remember it being. They also digitally changed the song to make it faster as well. The scenes change faster, and theres more going on with all the children and characters. Other than that, there doesnt seem to be much different about it. It still moves slow during the actual show, and its still socially educational for young children.

Chapter 4 1) I definitely believe that pro social television shows can be just as entertaining without being so preachy. One of my favorite pro social television shows I used to watch when I was in middle school, was Full House. Although I find it a bit preachy now that Im in college, when I was younger I enjoyed it because it dealt with many situations that were very much like the ones I encountered at that stage of my life. Chapter 5

1) One movie that really scared me when I was about 5 or 6 years old, was E.T.. It wasnt so much the story line that scared me, but rather it was the image of the alien, and its movements, as well as the dramatic music that went with it. The movie had creepy lighting, and in one of the scenes its hiding in the garage, when the young boy goes out to see what the noise is coming from. Its a spooky scene where you dont know what is going to happen, and it really scared me when I was little. I think its the main reason why I cannot watch any movies with aliens/ I get really scared when any movie that has to deal with aliens. I cannot watch many scary movies in general, but aliens (and zombies) are movies that scar me afterwards/ I cannot get to sleep because my mind plays tricks on me. 2) The popular cartoon I watched was The Power Puff Girls and the evening crime show I chose was Castle. The violence shown in The Power Puff Girls included giant, animal-like monsters that were trying to overtake the city. These monsters usually included special powers that helped them rampage the city, terrorizing the people. The violence in Castle was more realistic, where mental unstable people would cause violent crimes and it was up to Castles team to find the perpetrator. The violent crimes usually include murder and homicides. The perpetrators are usually very clever individuals, who like giant monsters are able to kill many people. This kind of violence however, is more realistic and actually happens in real life. The thing with the PPG, is that they are rewarded for going out and killing these monsters. The town glorifies their ability to take down the bad guys, but it still glorifies their actions, where in Castle, they are definitely not glorified for having to kill a person. They get the job done because they have to, but they are not glorifying the perpetrators death by all means. I believe that watching the power puff girls is more harmful for a younger child because it gives children the idea that violence is the way to handle their problems, and that they will be glorified for it. I can say that I always

thought violence was something to be glorified, and although I never acted upon it, I know that there are many children out there that have and might will. At least with Castle, they see violence as real people being killed, and that its not a glorious thing and should not be praised. 3) One example where I noticed I was becoming desensitized to media violence, was when I was watching the show, The Walking Dead. When the show first came out, I was unable to sit through an entire episode all the way through. The show is about the zombie apocalypse, where there are scenes of zombies eating human flesh, while the victim is still alive. Now, I have been able to slowly sit through entire seasons. With society slowly becoming desensitized to media violence, things are more liable to become only more violent. Things will progressively become more violent to keep up with the desensitization, which cannot be healthy to the human brain or social behavior. Im not sure about the legal system, but Im sure that there would be some changes to the standards of what kids are allowed to watch. I would imagine that childrens television would have to also keep up with the increased violence, making it increasingly more violent as well. Chapter 6 1) I believe that vulgar language should be kept out of all daytime television. I understand the language can become more vulgar after a certain hour for adult tv, but if the show has no warning ratings, then language should be kept decent. I believe that if there is any vulgar implication or backmeaning to a word, it should be kept out of daytime television and pg and under rated movies. I do agree that there are clearly vulgar words that people put in shows that are allowed, but are equally vulgar as words that are prohibited. If it were up to me, I would have a list of words that would be updated annually, that would not be allowed in shows, nor movies of certain ratings.

2) I cannot say that I watched the half-time show, but I heard plenty about it at school the next day. It sounds to me like it was a cheap shot at fame and fortune. Sounds to me like they really wanted to be remembered. I have to say that I agree more with Spike Lee, even though I do agree with both of them. People are doing whatever it takes for fame and fortune, that morals are being neglected. I do believe it was right that CBS was fined half a million dollars, because if there were no consequences to it, then what would stop them from censoring anything? There would be no incentive to keep television decent anymore. 3) I believe the increasing sexuality of young women has been an ongoing issue for many years now. Since the time of the flappers and pin-up girls, advertised sexuality of women and young girls has increased in recent years. I think there are already efforts to change the ideal sexuality in the mass media. I look on social networking sites, and they have pictures of plus sized models next to anorexic, thin models, and it obviously shows that you can be any size and shape, and still be just as beautiful. It enhances and encourages natural beauty, which is towards a different, more bright direction. Chapter 7 1) I do believe that actions speak louder than words, and so I would show the anti-heros actions, which don t always have to include tobacco or profanity. People can be portrayed as bad people, based on small actions and the choice of language. For instance, in the movie, A Christmas Carol, the protagonist in the movie starts out as an awful, money collecting person. He says rude things to the people around him, but does not have tobacco or profanity to do so. There are deeper ways to get the point across that a person is the anti-hero. 2) The advertising industry is a biased industry, which is trying to sell a product that causes more deaths in this country than car wrecks. The

tobacco is there, and its accessible, but that does not mean that it should be glorified, considering the damage it does. It is an addictive stimulant that kills. Chapter 8 1) I think there are children who grow up dealing with tough circumstances. Rock music lyrics probably relates with these people, because its more rebellious, and loud when they may have had to be reserved. Younger children may not understand the lyrics or what the song is about, but the music is energetic and loud, which could be highly appealing to younger children. Teenagers/ older children would be more attracted to rock, in my opinion. 2) I definitely believe that a line has been crossed with popular music these days. I remember when I first heard Katy Perrys Teenage Dream, and the line that mentioned some guy putting his hands all over her, in her skin tight jeans, and going all the way tonight with no regrets, etc. This is a song that young kids are listening to on the radio! I thought it was crazy that this is considered appropriate for popular tunes on the radio. As for societys safety, after listening to the song Kim by Eminem, about an abusive husband and his wife, I believe that cannot be healthy for society. If some teenager listens to that song and uses it to learn about social behavior, he may be prone to become abusive himself. Then again, it could have the opposite affect and teach him that behavior is socially unacceptable, but I think extreme songs like that can have extreme affects on the listener. And if it doesnt affect him extreme the right way, then it only affects them in an extremely negative manner. Regardless how the artist perceives their music, other people may not hear the same thing the artist is intending. You have to be careful about what music you write, and who listens to it.

3) Chapter 9 1) My favorite actors and actresses are: Zooey Deshanel, Gerard Butler, Anne Hathaway, Melissa McCarthy, and Rebel Wilson. In all the films Ive seen, both McCarthy and Wilson were on the bigger side, and so gaining more weight wouldnt matter. For Gerard Butlers films, he played in 300 and so many chick flicks, that gaining weight definitely wouldnt work to his advantage because hes almost border-lining eye candy. I do believe that gaining weight can help an actor/actress depending on the role they are playing. Being overweight has its benefits; for example, most roles that overweight people play, usually have a bigger depth of understanding and acceptance of other people. I would definitely agree that they are given comical roles, such as Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids, but she also had more character to her than any of the skinny, Barbie-look-alike characters. 3) I do believe that unnaturally unhealthy models should be banned from runways and fashion shows. I think this could easily be done, just like people too high in weight (which is the majority of the population) are not featured in them. Like being overweight, underweight should also apply as people not desired to model. It looks crazy unnatural and awkward, and in my opinion, clothes look better on healthy people who actually look like human beings. Plus, if you look at it from a legal viewpoint, you could possibly make it a regulation that insurance be increased based on the weight of the models. In other words, increased insurance for thin, unhealthy models, which would decrease the desire to hire them- giving them incentive to put on a few pounds. Chapter 10 1) Although I do strongly believe in supporting and enforcing the first

amendment, I do not believe that withholding violent videogames from children even comes close to violating it. For one, children are children, and need to be monitored until they are old enough to fend for themselves. They are not withholding the games from adults/the rest of the population, which I still believe is upholding the amendment. Retailers definitely have responsibility, because they are selling products to children that could be potentially harmful. They are liable to be sued for their actions, or in some way given consequence. The thing with sexual content, is that many children may not even understand what it is, and it may not affect them like violence can. I know when I was younger, there would be sexual references on the tv shows I would watch, but didnt realize it until I watched it again years later. Violence is something you dont have to understand for it to affect you. 2) The progression of violence in videogames is an indicator that there obviously is desensitization to it, otherwise they wouldnt become increasingly violent with each generation. If you are often exposed to the same thing, after a while you do build an immunity to it- thats just nature. People who walk barefoot everywhere build tough feet after time to become immune to it; infants learn how to speak because they are exposed to it from the people around them growing up; the body naturally immunes itself to whatever is around it. I cannot say that I ever played many violent videogames when I was little, but when it comes to movies and tv shows, I can definitely attest that violence desensitizes you. Used to, I could never sit through an entire episode of the walking dead because the graphic scenes and violence scarred me long after I stopped watching the screen. Now, I am able to watch seasons of it. It still somewhat affects me, but compared to how I used to be theres a drastic change. My younger brother used to play grand theft auto. He never talked

about the violence or mentioned how it affected him, but I do know that he didnt start playing it until he was in high school. He did mention it was pretty violent, but didnt elaborate on that any further. I think he almost sees the outright violence as humorous, just because he understands that this is a videogame and is in know way to be applied to real life, but that he is able to run around doing whatever he wants to do is appealing. There are no consequences for his actions, and its a chance for him to explore that side even if he would never actually act like that. Chapter 11 1) I do not actually have blocking software on my computer- as I do not worry about young children accessing my computer, I do not find it necessary to have one at this moment. 2) I think having a rating system for the internet would be effective. If there was a way to block the sites based on the blocking software that could turn out to be a more efficient way to keep things away from young children. I dont think it would really matter if there were no blocking software to go with it, just because they could still accidentally access it. I do believe there is a way to measure violence, just because there are many different degrees of violence. In my opinion, sex is sex and until you are of age to legally watch it, I dont think theres ever a situation that may be of exception, except maybe a sex education site. I think an appropriate rating system would rate the material for the age appropriateness (like the system used to rate movies) which other moms could write reviews on so they can check out the reviews before entering the site. Chapter 12 1) When I was growing up, we had one television set that was placed in the

middle of the living room. We had no cable, so the only kid-friendly channel we received was PBS kids. There was no reason to monitor my television habits, because there was only one channel my mom knew I would watch. The other ones were mainly news and weather related, which I didnt care for. Time was monitored, but really was just turned on after school, and then turned off before dinner. I do have to say that if there was a television in my room, I probably would have been more prone to watch it after being put to bed. I did enjoy watching television a lot, and so I can say that I would have watched more television if there was one at my personal disposal. 2) I invited my friends over for this experiment, and they did eat more while watching a movie, than just coming over for dinner. In my opinion, its easier to eat more during a movie because theres more time that elapses during a movie, rather than just eating dinner. On average, it takes me anywhere from 15-30 minutes to actually eat a meal. Maybe even less. The average length of a move is about an hour and forty-five minutes. Thats about 4-5 times longer than what it takes me to eat dinner. If youre letting that food sit and digest while watching television, with more in front of you to eat, I can see how its easily done.