Impact of Movies

The article, “Alcohol can rewire the teenage brain,” starts by stating that more than 4,750 American kids aged 15 and younger, said they took their first drink of alcohol already. Kids who start drinking before the age of 15 are more likely to become alcoholics because they get addicted to the drug. The article also states that they are more likely to start binge drinking. A study conducted by Lorena Siqueira a pediatrician at the Florida International University and Nicklaus Children’s hospital in Miami, reported that, “When kids drink, they tend to do heavy drinking,” and that, “Their bodies are not ready to handle that kind of alcohol.” Teens think that alcohol will help them feel happier and better, but that is not true. Teens also drink

Exposure to controlled substances through media platforms such as music, television and movies can warp young peoples ideas. Worldwide governments have removed the advertising rights of tobacco companies and limited alcohol promotion. The depiction of drugs is more prevalent now than it was in the 1950s (Rich 2008: 88-90). The subject matter of teenage movies, such as ‘American Pie,' found that substance use is more predominant in teenage fiction than in real life. Studies conducted on music television, shown during prime time adolescent viewing hours in 1994 found that rap videos frequently portrayed alcohol and tobacco usage in their content more than any other genre in music (Du Rant, Rome, et al., 1997 quoted by Rich, 2008: 88-90) The frequency in which teenagers observe this behaviour can reinforce their desire to dabble in

     It seems to me that, producers take a chunk of our history and rearrange it to satisfy and appeal to the interest of today’s audience. I now know that we the American audience are very gullible indeed. Let’s take the story of Titanic for instance. It wasn’t until just recently that the tale of the doomed ship was made into a three hour, Hollywood film, becoming the #1 grossing movie of all time. It was this movie that caused people to become astonished and even obsessed with Titanic.

Is the media’s portrayal of adolescent drinking accurate? Yes, it is. To many individuals, Alcohol is only a drink, but it is a lot more than that, it's an addictive drug. 60% of young adults have tried alcohol earlier than the age of 14, and the numbers of under aged drinkers is rising. Adolescents begin drinking for a lot of reasons - given that they are bored, due to peer pressure, and quite simply because there is nothing else to do. The national Drug research Institute observed females aged 14 to 17 have been worse abusers of alcohol than 18 to 24-year old guys. In other records, it suggests that eighty percent of under 18-year-olds drink, 50 percentage binge drink. Also around 10 percent of 12 year olds drink.

Underage drinking is very common in the United States. Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug in the United States, even more so than illicit drugs (Marijuana, Cocaine, etc…) and tobacco. “In 2012 the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 24% of youth aged 12 to 20 years drink alcohol and 15% reported binge drinking. In 2013, the Monitoring the Future Survey reported that 28% of 8th graders and 68%

Movies have the ability to transport people to different times and places and distract them from ordinary everyday reality. They allow for a range of emotions to be experienced. At their core, movies examine the human condition. There are plenty of deeper truths woven into screenplays and plenty of lessons to be learned, even when an individual is solely seeking entertainment.

There are many studies connecting media exposure to drug use in adolescents. Media can be defined as television shows, movies, books, music, and even billboards on the side of the road. Nunez-Smith et al. conducted research reviewing 42 studies which looked into drug use in adolescents. It was found that media often causes children to be at a high risk to try smoking, drinking, and illicit drugs. Some of the studies explained that some shows can portray an imagine of drinking or doing drugs to be associated with the "in" crowd. The individuals who are considered to be cool and popular in a school setting also are the ones being invited to all the parties and getting involved with different drugs. This imagine sends the message that it is

“The biggest mistake we have made is to consider that films are primarily a form of entertainment. The film is the greatest medium since the invention of movable type for exchanging ideas and information, and it is no more at its best in light entertainment than literature is at its best in the light novel.” - Orson Welles

Report shows evident that there is a connection between mass media alcohol advertising and underage drinking. Evident shows that adolescent watch television during alcohol advertising slot time (n=1023 or 100%). According to the evident, (n=586 or 57.2

For most teenagers, drinking seems to be the only easy way out. Material culture has made these teenagers feel that what they are doing is not wrong. Children imitate what they see and if what they are constantly seeing are magazine ads and billboards showing beautiful people having a great time holding their beer or wine, they to are going to think, "Wow, if I drink that I will be having just as much fun as they are!" These types of media are found everywhere you look and can be potentially dangerous to our society.

For example, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH), about 33% of teens have drank an alcoholic drink by the age of 15. In addition, underage drinking and use of drugs negatively impact a teen's still developing brain.

          Alcohol is the most widely used drug among youth. It causes serious and potentially life-threatening problems for this population. Research indicates that drinking is associated with risk-taking and sensation-seeking behavior among adolescents. Alcohol has disinhibiting effects that may increase the likelihood of unsafe activities.In 1997, 21 percent of the young drivers 15 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes were intoxicated. For young drivers, alcohol involvement is higher among males than among females. In 1997, 25 percent of the young male drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking at the time of the crash, compared with 12 percent of the young female drivers

The media has a way of influencing people of all ages. Specifically, violence and horror in the media are the most debated. Why do people go to watch violent movies or horror movies? They go for entertainment without realizing the physical or mental effects. Kathy Benjamin’s “5 Scientific Ways Watching Movies Effects You” and Bernie DeGroat’s “Scary Movies Can Have Lasting Effects on Children and Teens” both mention the negative effects of movies, especially horror movies, with research or studies. However, only one of the essays, “5 Scientific Ways Watching Movies Effects You,” mentions some positive effects. Statistics have shown that watching these type movies can have short and long term repercussions.

III. Kids experiment with drugs and alcohol when they see other kids their age on TV doing the same things

The BBFC has commissioned me to undertake research as part of a project to ascertain to what degree films can be regarded as powerful within contemporary society. In this assignment, I will comprehensively explain the relationship between audiences and films with well explained examples. I refer to the different sectors relating to the topic that include the following: