Sensationalized Media Coverage Sends Kids Wrong Message

Every day, the Disney Channel has many younger tweens and teens watching shows such as "Jake Long, American Dragon" or "Hannah Montana." All children seem to be enchanted by these shows somehow, possibly because the shows contain humor or a dream of the child's. "Hannah Montana," for example, pictures a young girl named Miley who leads a double life as both a school student AND a pop singing sensation. Even shows such as "American Idol" have gained so many air-time ratings because of our younger generation. However, as the ratings are rising, the media is beginning to prove a much higher authority than parents or friends of a young child.

Just a few days ago, I had watched a news story, detailing the fact that a woman who had recorded a homemade sex tape was just recently getting even more money. This woman who I am referring to is Paris Hilton and it is rather unusual to the fact that she was getting publicity for such a thing as this which is practiced in a couple's bedroom in privacy. In fact, I further looked up another recent news article about the Iraq war and how more soldiers had recently died. I hope the viewer could possibly guess the story that appeared on the front cover of the newspaper, as it was a story about Paris Hilton. What was even more shocking to me was the fact that little kids were getting autographs from her.

The point here is the fact that these children were watching this "celebrity" go off and earn money from a sex tape, which is oddly plagued upon by their parents. What goes off in a girl's mind will be the knowledge that, if they go out there and have sex a whole bunch of times, they will earn a large amount of money from recording it and selling it all. So, why is it that the media keeps releasing these stories out in the open, to trespass on every celebrity, thereby giving bad ideas in our future children? It is because they do not care about your children's true future. All the media will care about is what sort of ratings or publicity something will get.

However, parents and peers should not be left out of the equation. In fact, Paris Hilton's parents, specifically her mother, have praised her for the release of Paris' sex scandal, as it has gotten her out into the light of popularity. The show-biz moms and dads have pressured their kids into dancing and singing so much that the children cannot help but bleed their eyes out. It is obvious that they didn't truly want the attention, but they are doing so because their parents want them to. One might say that it is the media who influences the parents, thereby influencing the child to do these things such as going to a club with no underwear underneath.

The media may have control of our children, but is there something parents can do to change that? There is, but only if parents are willing to teach their children to not accept the media's perspective on everything in life. The media reveals stories that are not fully detailed nor thoroughly investigated, such as the Jean-Benet case involving a creepy guy who admitted to having killed her when he, in fact, never laid his hands on the girl (Ironically, that case's footage was put on television more time than what "The Simpsons" actors make every day). So, please, when a proper news story shows up, let your child watch it. But, when a news story about a recent political sex scandal occurs, keep the television off.