The legal drinking age is twenty-one, marijuana is illegal, and school begins at eight in the morning.
If this is understood by society then why are teenagers drinking, smoking and partying on school nights? The moral degradation of teenagers has continued for decades, but the constant question of parents is: why? Why are teenagers so enthralled by the idea of living life precariously? Parents take great measures to ensure that their children are protected from the harsh adult realities of life, but what if that choice was not left in the their hands?What if it was the media who had complete control over their childrens’ thoughts? ?Social media plays a notorious part to teenagers today. According to an article Sam Laird wrote on Mashable Lifestyle there are 7. 5 million Facebook users who are under 13 years old. Studies show that the age thirteen is when teens start to develop emotionally, so when they are exposed to a website that has no filter it can be dreadful. Sam Laird also states that 20% of kids who are cyber bullied think about suicide, and 1 in 10 actually attempts it.
If this is so why don’t websites, such as Facebook, use more precautions to make sure no one has to go through abuse? Or better yet, why are websites, such as Facebook, still in use? ?The idea that social media may have played a role in the chaotic behavior may seem unfathomable to many parents, but it begins with the lifestyle that is constantly encouraged and displayed to the public. Social media sites, such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, are customary places to see and share information quickly about parties, illicit actions, and anything else.These sites validate their social standings with their peers by how many followers they have or how many likes they can get. Teenagers are so focused on becoming “Facebook Famous” or finding out when the next party is, that they are blind to the fact that they are slaves to social media.
Many celebrities publicize their actions through television and music, displaying the image of violence and sex, as the ideal lifestyle to live. This is social media sacrificing the well being of their audience to gain profits. The Jersey Shore is a prime example, it is watched by millions, and constantly talked about.But what is the real message they send to teenagers? Clubbing every night, constant drinking, and casual intercourse.
Many teenagers obtain the message that this is the way to act if you want to have fun, and the media is only encouraging it by allowing this show to air. The fact that social media has such a strong grip on the youth is shameful. Many parents have relinquished their authority over their children connecting to social media without supervision. Jim Morrison once said, “ Whoever controls the media controls the mind.
” At such a young age teenagers are easily influenced by opinions that constantly change.Should we let social media, an outside source more focused on capitalizing than educating, influence them? Or is it the adults in their lives that willingly let their children become a slave to social trend? Social media, having a strong grip on puppet strings, needs to be more publically known, and parents must ask themselves, is this really social media, or social mind control? Coming across this advertisement, I realized how much times have changed, and how much of a negative influence the shows Teen Mom and 16 and pregnant have in a teenager’s life.
