Children & Media

1. Children & Media By: Tab Leslie

2. Two Main Issues • When it comes to shows and advertisements in the media, all kids of different age groups are targets for their messages which can have a negative impact on all children. • Children as young as 4-10 and more are very impressionable and in the media there are so many negative things out there that kids will embrace. • In Ads, they are deliberately show and tell kids that they will be un-cool, worthless or a loser if they don’t have certain products or if they don’t look a certain way (Usually an inappropriate way!) and the media shouldn’t be like that because it’s sending the wrong idea to kids which will scar them for life. • There are no good messages in the media, only bad ones. They are just trying to manipulate kids into becoming consumers and materialistic people. • The major theme is manipulation and lies, the media is trying to make children in a certain way (Ex: Wanting nothing but money, things or looking good) and making their roles in life to be nothing but consumers. • This IS dangerous! Because when the kids grow-up, they’ll be nothing but selfish, ignorant, unimaginative people! And parents should be concerned. They need to step up and teach their kids right from wrong, good morals and values and tell them how evil the media can be.

3. Fairy Tale 1: Cinderella Cinderella is the story about how an innocent girl falls victim to cruelty. After father dies, her step-mother and two step sister turn Cinderella into their maid and treat her terribly. But with the help of a fairy god-mother and a glass slipper Cinderella gets her happily ever after. • Positive: • Some of the messages in the story is to always keep your chin up and maintain a positive attitude even when you’re in a grime situation. • In the book, even though Cinderella’s step mother and sisters were so horrible to her, Cinderella treated them kindly and with respect. The message there is that when you are nice and kind, even to your enemies, good things will happen to you. • Negative: • The story has a magical fairy god-mother that helps get Cinderella to the ball which results in her falling in love with the prince. Young children may think that in life, they’ll have a fairy god-mother or something to help them with their problems, and unfortunately, not everyone in life or anyone at all will want to help us. With our problems. The fairy god-mother was just a fantasy character for the story.

4. Fairy Tale 2: Snow White Snow White’s a story about a princess who runs away from home and lives with seven dwarfs to escape the wrath of her evil step-mother. Positive: • The story has a bit of religious references. In the story, the wicked queen poisons a beautiful red apple, offers it to Snow White and she’s tempted to eat it and when she does, it kills her. This is a bit similar to the Adam And Eve story in the bible where Eve was tempted to eat the apple after God said no. • In the Grimm’s versions of the story, the wicked queen comes to the Dwarfs cottage three times, and the queen attempts to kill Snow White every time. That shows kids that they shouldn’t open the door, or take things from strangers or even talk to them, because they can be dangerous. • Also in the Grimm’s version, Snow White won in the end and the queen lost. She was forced to wear hot iron shoes and dance at Snow White at her wedding until she died. That shows that your enemies will always get their just desserts. • Negative: • The evil queen was Snow White’s step mother. Younger children may get the idea that if their parent or divorced parents gets married, their new step-parent will hurt them. (That doesn’t always happen)

5. Modern Media 1:The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Billy and Mandy is a show about a dumb boy named Billy and a evil girl named Mandy who are friends with the Grim Reaper. • The show has a negative impact on children because of their characters, attitudes, crude humor and lack of morals. • One of the main characters Mandy, is a mean, evil, sinister child who is feared by everyone, even her own parents, and she always gets whatever she wants on the show. Kids will get the wrong idea thinking that it’s cool to be mean and feared, because they can get whatever they want. • And two other characters: Billy and his friend Irwin are more of the loser characters. Billy is stupid and Irwin is a nerd and everyone are always bringing these two guys down. In fact, in one episode Billy told Irwin “By being a nerd you make other people feel better about themselves.” Little kids will pick up the idea that it’s okay to make fun of someone who maybe smarter or not so smarter than you. And it’s not okay! • The attitude on the show is very negative, they sometimes say things about death, violence, being better than everyone and everything will always turn out bad in the end. This is not a good show for kids. • Finally, the humor on this show is either dark or very rude. It will make kids think it’s okay to be rude.

6. Modern Media 2:The Suite Life of Zack and Cody • Another media show on is a sit com by Disney called “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody”, a show about two twin boys living in a 5 star hotel and causing all sorts of chaos. • Zack and Cody really isn’t a good show to be viewed by children as young as 4-10 due to it’s extreme lack of morals and values, especially with their characters Zack, London and occasionally Zack and Cody’s mother. • The twins Zack and Cody: Cody is a smart, usually well behaved and is a sensitive kid. His brother Zack is obnoxious, a flirt and kind of a brat. From Cody, kids may see him as un-cool because he likes school and is into different things like cooking and science. From Zack, kids may think it’s okay to get by in school and take the easy way out of everything and to be selfish and self centered. • The character London is a rich heiress who lives at the hotel and is a horrible spoiled BRAT! She thinks that just because she is rich she should get whatever she wants. And a lot of times on the show, she does what she wants. Her character will make kids desire money and want to be rich (Money can turn people into monsters), her character deprives them of good lessons; even the value of a dollar. • The other character Maddie, is the only character on the show with brains and morals; but no one ever listens to her, don’t care what she has to say and London usually makes fun of her just because she’s poor. • The main theme of the show is being rich and wanting money. There are • More important things in life that they could talk or support About but usually don’t. I don’t think children should watch this.

7. What the effects are: By the time a child is eighteen years old, he or she will witness on television (with average viewing time) 200,000 acts of violence including 40,000 murders (Huston, et al, 1992). • Children, ages 8 to 18, spend more time (44.5 hours per week- 61/2 hours daily) in front of computer, television, and game screens than any other activity in their lives except sleeping (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005). • Since the 1950s, more than 1,000 studies have been done on the effects of violence in television and movies. The majority of these studies conclude that: children who watch significant amounts of television and movie violence are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior, attitudes and values (Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1999). • What’s Happening Six prominent medical groups (American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Psychiatric Association) warn of these effects of media violence on children: • Children will increase anti-social and aggressive behavior. • Children may become less sensitive to violence and those who suffer from violence. • Children may view the world as violent and mean, becoming more fearful of being a victim of violence. • Children will desire to see more violence in entertainment and real life. • Children will view violence as an acceptable way to settle conflicts. (Congressional Public Health Summit, 2000) Cites: http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_vlent.shtml

8. In conclusion, if children at really young ages continue to watch TV and/or play on the computer contently, they will deprived of things like having a creative imagination, exercise or education, children will only listen and believe what they see in the media. In this article: American Kids, Dumber Than Dirt, it points out that kids are too preoccupied by the media and things like their cell phones, iPods and TV which is shutting their brains down and that won’t be good for the next generation. • And parents should GET concerned and step up and keep them from watching anything that might have a negative impact on their kids. Cite: http://soylentgreene.us/yousuck.htm