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AFA JournalCULTURETeens reveal attitudes about media influenceAFA Journal, March 2001 Edition A majority of teens think society is more violent due to the influence of media and entertainment, but very few teens admit they have been personally impacted. That's the major finding of an informal survey of high school juniors and seniors conducted by AFA Journal. The 71 students, ages 16 to 18, attend a small rural public school in Mississippi. According to survey results, 71% believe our society is more violent today, but only 10% believe they are more violent. Ninety-three percent of girls and 77% of boys say they remain "unchanged" by media/entertainment influences. When asked why they believed our society is more violent, a large majority blamed bad parenting or unhappy family life. Boys felt this more strongly than girls. One young man commented, "Parents need to stop working so hard and spend time with their kids." A girl responded: "Parents have no control over their children. They aren't enforcing enough discipline and teaching them right from wrong." The next three factors contributing to violence, in the opinions of teens participating, were television, music and movies. Respondents were given a list of nine TV shows and asked to mark the ones they watch more than twice a month. Relationship-oriented shows like Friends, Dawson's Creek and Will and Grace rated highest, but many also enjoy scandal and sensationalism, as evidenced by their watching Jerry Springer. Seventy-eight percent of girls and 88% of guys said they listen to music "often," as opposed to "seldom" or "sometimes." They named nearly 150 different favorite artists. The most popular musical genre was hard/modern rock (e.g. Dave Matthews, Limp Bizkit, Creed) to which 52% claimed to listen. Rap (e.g. Triple 6 Mafia, Eminem, Snoop Dog) was the second in popularity with 38% saying they listened. Significant numbers of teens in the survey also enjoy country, classic rock and top 40. A small number claimed to favor Contemporary Christian Music. It is notable, especially to concerned parents, that some hard rock and rap music often contain the most objectionable lyrics and themes. When it came to Internet use, girls were more likely to use it often, whereas boys scored higher for using it sometimes. The primary use for this medium was to "send and receive E-mail," but "browsing the Web" also scored high. One boy admitted to frequently visiting an Internet pornography site; another listed a website where bizarre subject matter, such as photos of deceased celebrities' bodies, are featured. Female survey respondents seldom play video games, while most males play them at least "sometimes." Sports games were the favorite. Games that involved fighting and killing ranked second. When asked, "Do you believe media and entertainment have had an impact on your attitudes about: fashion, relationships, authority figures, sex, alcohol, drugs and smoking?" by more than two to one, girls answered no. However those that do believe they've been impacted named movies and music as the two major media affecting their attitudes. Boys were evenly split on all choices, except for alcohol, drugs and smoking. Two-thirds believed media/entertainment have not impacted them in these areas. And, like the girls, those who say they have been influenced list movies and music as top sources of influence. |
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