Negative Portrayal Of Teenagers In The Media Essay

Party goers, hooligans, and just plain idiots is how the media represent Australian youth. Far too often, Australian youth is depicted negatively. It is unfair that the media represents youth this way because there are many young Australians out there who need to be recognized for their positive achievements. Several articles that I will share with you today will illustrate how the media leaves readers thinking the worst about teenagers. This must stop. It’s time to shine a spotlight on the great things young people can do and say.

Introduction: Media bias is a real issue. No matter what news source you are observing, everyone is going to have their own opinion about a news topic. In order to make sure that we are receiving the truth, we must make sure that we are doing our own research prior to making conclusions. My goal is to inform you about media bias so that you can learn ways to identify the truth rather than what journalists want you to believe. I also want to show you the influence that media bias has on young American teenagers.

The American media system negatively affects the self-image of young boys and girls in America by simply putting out

Article after article after article, negative information on teenagers is immensely open to the world, once in a blue moon you might find an article that portrays them positively, but can all of this negative coverage be the cause of emotional damage and lack of self-worth? Teenagers by nature are always trying to discover themselves and find out who they truly are, imagine what these negative articles that try to predict what they’re like can do to them, imagine all of the teenagers that read an article about how young people smoke cigarettes and are pressured to conform to the ways of their peers in order to stay out of the sites of bullies and any person who has ill intent.

Thank you, in advance, for taking the time to read my letter and consider my request.

How are youth represented in the media and what is the possible impact on teenage audiences?

Bailey, D. (2005). Mind over media: An APA-supported summit plugged teens into how the media persuades. Monitor, 36(2). Retrieved from: http://apa.org/monitor/feb05/mind.aspx

Sexuality in the media has been a topic of debate and discussion over recent years. It has become increasingly controversial as many people believe that there has been an increase in sexualized media over recent years. They believe this is to blame for the increased sexuality exhibited by adolescents. Some may argue that as society and adolescents begin to become more sexualized, the media responds to this by producing more sexualized media be relevant and popular. The media argues that they need to continue to be sexualized to effectively promote their ideas and sell products to a society that has become sexualized over time.

“Most of these adolescents tend to spend more time focusing on the media rather than the

There are numerous ways that women and young girls are impacted by the media and their bias. There are many different types of bias used in the media. These biases are bias by omission, bias by selection, bias by placement, bias by labeling, and bias by spin. Media bias has a great deal of influence on society, but the media has a detrimental amount of influence on women in young girls. Some of these effects are positive, but most of them are negative. Stereotyping, sexuality, and body image are among the most persuaded when it comes to media bias. It is essential that every single person be well informed about the tactics used by the media in these categories not only to keep themselves from being negatively impacted but also protect their children from these tactics.

It is not a surprise that television media affects adolescents. There are several programs geared toward young people that give a negative view on what it is like to be a teenager/emerging adult. These shows are geared toward a younger audience, but have more mature content that is not suitable for children under a certain age. Some of these shows deal with teen pregnancies, drug use, and relational issues – all of which are important to talk about – but the manner in which they are shown, is not suitable for a younger audience.

When teens unlock their phone, read a magazine or turn on the TV, they see what the media wants them to see. When teens look at the media, they see celebrities with luxury life styles that they dream to have. These celebrities are then plastered onto the cover of a magazine and are called beautiful by the whole world. Not only does the media put out a false reality, but they also promote negative behavior and information. Teens are constantly being fed this negative information. Whenever teens get on any social media site they can see a video about someone getting murdered. From common knowledge they know that murder is wrong, but yet turn around and play games such as Grand Theft Auto that encourages this same criminal behavior. Overall, the media has such a negative influence on the world and with teens, like myself, just now getting an understanding of it, because our minds are manipulated from the content that it puts out.

Society today is consumed by media. The same media that causes fear, glamorizes mental illness, and makes unhealthy relationships appear romantic. Even though American’s are living in the safest time in history, media strikes unnecessary fear into American’s. The media is also responsible for validating mental illnesses and portraying it as beautiful. The media also depicts abuse as romantic. These aspects of the media have a strong effect on teenage girls because they are consumed by media and what society thinks.

It is no surprise that teens are almost always on a mobile device or a computer. In a Swedish survey conducted by Findhal and Zimic, 99% of 12-24 year olds have internet access (Mattebo, Larsson, Tyden, Olsson, & Haggstrom-Nordin 2012). Media exposure has influenced an individual’s opinion because it has been known to reflect the public opinion (Chia & Gunther 2006). According Fields and Schuman, as cited by Chia and Gunther (2006), the influence the media has done is known as a projection effect or “‘looking-glass effect’”, because “‘look out onto the world and somehow see their own opinions reflected back’”.

As children continue to grow and become teenagers, in some cases there comes more attitude and disobedience. Becoming a teenager is a huge transition because you are beginning to notice things about yourself and others. With growing there comes curiosity and television shows and the media can definitely have a negative influence on them. Sometimes you can hear teenagers say ‘I saw that on tv’ or the internet and because they see others trying it, they are influenced to do it as well. This can be drugs, sex or anything that these teenagers see. Without that conversation to teach these teenagers to be smart and make good choices, they will continue these things which can in the end affect them.