Answers to Your Questions: Teens and the Media

Feb. 26, 2007 — -- Thank you for submitting so many questions about the impact celebrities have on teens. University of Michigan psychology professor Monique Ward answers some of your comments in the following Q&A:

Question: It is indeed troubling to consider what a world of Britney Spears and Paris Hiltons could do psychologically to young girls. But this is also a world of Brad Pitts and Justin Timberlakes. How could the images of them in the media affect young boys? How does this affect the way boys treat girls, and vice versa?

Answer: As media and cultural images of masculinity and femininity change, new research is being done to examine the effects of these models and expectations on girls and boys. And indeed, emerging evidence does show that boys' images of manhood and their beliefs about their own bodies are shaped by their media use and identification with media models.

At the same time, however, media and cultural images of manhood are still broader and more diverse than images of womanhood, thereby leading to some of the initial concerns. In the larger society, male role models are athletic, techno-savvy, political, inspirational or sexy. For women, they are often just sexy.

In the report released by American Psychological Association last week examining the sexualization of girls, there is a section devoted to discussing how sexualization of girls affects boys and men, and their relationships with women. There are some provocative findings there that you may want to check out.

Question: I am a single dad and I have two daughters, ages 9 and 6. My ex-wife recently submitted my children to a reality show for overweight kids. I am concerned with the possible negative effects the nationally televised show may have on my daughters. Is my fear valid?

Answer: Without knowing anything about that particular reality program, it is hard for me to say definitively. However, my initial reaction is also one of concern. It might be one thing to participate in an intervention, or even in a television program sponsored by a health-oriented or educational channel.

However, I fear that mainstream reality programming is sometimes exploitive, and that you would have to be concerned about your daughters' body-related weaknesses and emotions being exploited for entertainment value. I know of no research that has studied the consequences of participating in reality programming, and therefore I offer no science to support my opinion. However, I would proceed with caution and consider the personalities of your individual daughters. How do they handle attention, shame and public emotion? Are they open about their weight issues?

Question: When a child has lost a close loved one (parent, sibling) to violent death (war, car accident), how do violent images and stories in the media affect them?

Answer: This is an excellent question, and would very much depend on the age of the child. Violent images and stories can stir strong emotions and fears, especially in young children (under 6 or 7). At the same time, death and tragedy are sometimes difficult for young children to process. They frequently blame themselves, or believe that they may have said or done something bad for this bad thing to have happened.

Media images that may remind them of the death need to be handled carefully. Because almost anything could spark a connection, being aware of this possibility and talking through the issue and images are important.

Question: Are teen celebrity posters in my 11-year-old's bedroom harmful? She is an honor student and when I separated from her father two years ago, I said I would let her decorate her room as she wished to ease her transition. Will posters of celebrities adversely impact her body image?

Answer: Eleven is an important age for body-image development and self-concept. Research shows that the more girls identify with and idolize thin and sexy media celebrities the less good they tend to feel about their own bodies. This is not the case for ALL girls, however, and very much depends on how good they feel about themselves, in general, and what they value most about themselves.

Because she is an honors' student, she is likely to value her achievements, too, and not just looks. You might want to encourage her to celebrate a diverse group of celebrities with her room decor, people who are talented not just because they have a "hot" body. It might be useful to have posters of her favorite artists, athletes, world leaders, scientists or others in addition to mainstream celebrities.

Question: My friend just got caught in school making out with a teacher and she came to school the next day. I don't know how to talk to her without avoiding the subject because everyone knows about it? What do I do? The teacher was fired.

Answer: I am assuming that your friend is a minor and a student, and that teachers and parents are handling the legality of the issue. As a friend, your role is to listen and ask questions in a nonjudgmental way, questions like "How do you feel?" and "What can I do to help?"

You don't want to assume anything, and it would be good to get a sense of where she is. Is she sad, angry or embarrassed about what happened? Was your friend coerced or forced? If it is difficult for you to address these issues in person, at first, you might want to try an e-mail or phone call.