Can Teens Withstand Media 's Influence Of Substances?

Drugs are not only legal in the society, but encouraged. In my opinion, the drugs are used to keep people’s minds occupied and to suppress their ideas or opinions. A reason that the people in the society turn to drugs is a lack of love. They are not shown any love by their family, and they do not feel any love towards their family. This causes a void that they feel the need to fill. Because the people are encouraged to use drugs, they do not question it, and they rely on them for their happiness. Once, when Millie overdosed on drugs, Montag called emergency services. When they came to help Millie, they said, “Hell… we get these cases nine or ten a night,” (Bradbury 15). This shows how heavily drugs are relied on. Although drugs are not legal in today’s society, we are somewhat close to Bradbury’s picture. There have been protests all over to legalize marijuana, and some states, such as Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, have legalized the drug. Also, our family life also contributes to the increased drug abuse. For example, in the article “Risk Factors for Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Use/Abuse Prevention”, it states, “Family factors appear especially important in the early initiation to drug use and the initiation to illicit drugs…” (Bogenschneider). Because many teens today have parents who are uninvolved in their lives, it is very easy for them to abuse substances. This just proves the point that our society is close to the society that Bradbury created in his novel Fahrenheit

For thousands of years, music has been a form of self-expression that has united groups of people through its historical and traditional meaning. In the 1980’s, a new, more diverse genre took over the music industry by storm., Hip-Hop/Rap. This contemporary genre has raised much controversy over the years from parents, educators, and conservatives. These groups worry that Rap music glorifies negative lifestyle choices such as drugs, violence, sex and gangs; and those lyrics’ influence on youth. Since music is more apart of youth’s life than ever, these concerns are questioning the limitations on Rap’s explicit content. However, Rap serves as a positive outlet for self-expression without limits, allowing artists to freely communicate their journeys and struggles. In addition, Rap sheds light on current political/social issues in a relatable, digestible way; allowing youth to be more conscious and involved in society & its struggles; resulting in improved race relations and narrowing the gap between the rich and poor.

Adolescence describes the transitional stage in a teenager’s life, from childhood to adulthood, where an individual evolves physically, psychologically, emotionally, cognitively and socially. It is a defined social category that is expressed through immaturity and unpredictability and allows an individual to learn and discover their sense of self and identity. The idea of adolescence came into perspective after children were expected to take on adult roles as soon as they were mature enough to, going straight from puberty to adulthood. As society changed and moulded, so did the ideas about life stages, which is evident in Erikson’s theory.

To gain a well rounded analysis, we look to other studies which emphasise the enduring strength of barriers – peer pressure, parental attachment, personal value systems – that keep most young people from associating with a culture in which familiarity with drugs is ‘normal '. The idea behind this argument is that drug use is in fact far from the norm, young drug users hold the same values as that of wider society and they only take drugs because they are trying to neutralise the guilt that has resulted from engaging in a behaviour they know is ultimately wrong. With this argument in mind, one could argue that it is up to the criminal justice system to help regulate illegal drug use because young people are aware that what they are doing is wrong and carry on doing so because they already feel guilty about breaking societal values. As plausible as this argument may seem, such an interpretation is simplistic in that it makes assumptions that those who take drugs perceive it to be wrong, instead they may just feel guilt because of the existing societal sanctions that are in place and not because they are breaking so called 'societal values '. Having said this, there are also other studies which support the findings of the NWELS. South argues that "the ‘normalisation of drug use’ reflects society’s undeniable awareness of drugs issues; for example, drugs education and prevention efforts indicate that these substances are no longer perceived as exceptional and remote but as

Doug E. Fresh, a popular beat-boxer in rap music today, has been quoted saying, “Hip-hop is supposed to uplift and create, to educate people on a larger level and to make a change.” Although this is the original intention of hip-hop music, public opinion currently holds the opposite view. Since the 1970’s musical artists have changed the face of hip-hop and rap and worldwide, people – mostly teens—have been striving to emulate certain artists and their lyrics, which has created negative stereotypes for hip-hop music and also for those who choose to listen to it. With vulgar lyrics referencing drugs, alcohol, sex, and aggression, it’s no wonder these stereotypes exist. However, is music really the direct cause of how teens act,

Some study on substance abuse representation has been shown on the depiction of alcohol within the media outside of the marketing and advertising scope like music and videos (Baillie, 1996). Music and videos are increasing glamorize drugs and alcohol use in their content. These songs and videos are readily available to adolescents without parental guidance. Examples of two song Liquor and Drunk Texting by Chris Brown. Songs such as “Liquor” show Mr. Brown in a bar and female slips something into his drink, where he goes on to have a wild night under the influence and experiences with a female. His other song “Drunk Texting” featuring songstress Jhene Aiko show Mr. Brown and his ex under the influence after a fail relationship showing how

More specifically, Chen et al. (2006) found a relationship between teens who listen to rap music and the use of marijuana. This study included asking teenagers about their music preferences and whether they had used marijuana or not. This study was conducted through an anonymous survey. The results of this study showed that teens who listened to rap music on a regular basis were more likely to use marijuana during their teenage years.

Results of the study displayed that teens with a preference for songs depicting degrading sexual lyrics were more likely to engage in sexual activities themselves (Campbell), which is unintended and unhealthy for young teenagers. Teens who listen to suggestive lyrics that glorify drug and alcohol use are also more likely to engage in these activities. Music often portrays substance use as cool without showing the negative consequences of addiction (Morin). So many popular songs nowadays have lyrics that glorify bad habits and behaviors--making it difficult to avoid hearing and internalizing

Alcohol, drugs, and sex: this is the “recipe” for a typical teenager in pop culture. Stereotypes of high school students appear in countless movies, books, and television shows. Based on media sources, a prevalent opinion of teenagers is that they are extremely rebellious, selfish, and irresponsible. Society has become used to a negative image of adolescents; many just ignore how teenagers actually act. Despite the fact that many consider these visual representations of high schoolers are true, only a few of these representations are correct. However, there may be more variables involved. For example, these young adults may be facing stressful decisions or handling immense family situations. Although each individual high school exhibits unique characteristics, high school students can be split into three distinct classifications: brainiacs, jocks, and underachievers.

Artists have mentioned, paid homage to, and warned against the pitfalls of drugs, from lean, to Xanax, to cocaine, to marijuana, to molly and yet a clean culture still hasn’t become popular to the hip hop audience. From warning against abuse to promotion of the abusive lifestyle the message of hip hop has changed the most through the decades. A new accountability must be installed into artist who promote use because they are the ones that influence more people to use and abuse thus causing further overdose crisis. Until this happens, the issue will remain silenced and so will the victims, whether that be the artist themselves or the listener, who are insecure about getting help, losing popularity, or their

Although some people argue for the legalization of drugs, addiction to these substances has caused a huge increase in violent crimes in the home, at school, and on the street. Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to create compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. This is a false and uneducated belief. Drug abuse may start as a social problem or social escape but one the addiction has taken ahold of a person

Adolescence is both a social and cultural construct as well as biological one, it is the developmental period where one transition from being a child to adult and face biological, psychological, and social challenges. This challenging, and important time in between childhood and adulthood has caused a lot of interest in the psychological field and a number of theories have been developed in order to try and explain the different stages of development. One of the most significant models of psychosocial development was created by Erikson (1963) and the stage related to adolescents is known as the “Identity vs. Role-Diffusion”, where the one is in constant pursuit of a coherent sense of self during the teenage years. When the teenager is unable to put together aspects of themselves they experience role-diffusion. Later on Elkind (1967) introduced his theory of adolescent egocentrism, explaining the increase in preoccupation with oneself during the teenage years. Kohlberg (1969) quickly followed up with his theory of moral development, in order to examine how adolescents develop their ability to solve ethical dilemmas. Another challenge teenagers need to face is mental health. The psychological part of striving for independence, while still struggling with identity formation and having poor coping strategies can have serious consequences and lead to mental illnesses, such as depression which is a growing concern among youths. This essay will further examine to what extent

From peer pressure to alcohol and drug problems adolescents face many difficult decisions in today's world. Adolescent psychologists study these problems and the way that adolescents react to them. The reason why they are studied is so that people can have an insight in to the mind of an adolescent. Many of the psychologists use the knowledge that is gained, from their research, to write research papers and books. Many of these books and research papers are submitted to different psychological journals. These journals are then sent out all over the world to many different universities and libraries to be enjoyed and analyzed by all. The point of this paper

In addition to this, a new rating system is needed to help protect the consumer. As shown before music has changed, and this change affects the consumer. In rap and hip-hop music drug abuse is glorified and shown as a positive thing. Children, who do not know any better, hear this music and think it is okay to abuse drugs. But it is not okay, and this needs to be fixed. For example, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley found that there was sixfold increase in drug references in songs over the past two decades (Preidt 1). This proves how drug references has increased exponentially since the “Parental Advisory Label” was created. Additionally, the dean of students at the School of Public Health stated "Positive portrayals of drug use have increased over time, and drug references increased overall. This is an alarming trend, as rap artists are role models for the nation's youth, especially in urban areas. Many of these young people are already at risk and need to get positive messages from the media."(Herd 1). Altogether this proves that drug abuse is normalized and in some cases even

Teenage is a fundamental stage of life that each human being passes through. Some people face this period of their life strongly and positively, while others face many problems and difficulties. This depends on the environment these young adults live in, their parents, their friends, their living conditions, their education, and many other factors. Teenagers face many problems such as becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol, being influenced negatively by their peers, self-image and weight, or even arguments with their parents