An assortment of attitudes and beliefs are evident in public discourse about the effects of media exposure. Parents especially are concerned with how media exposure and content may influence the healthy development of their children.

Survey data from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicate that many parents are concerned about the amount of sex and violence that their children see on television. Earlier proposals for parental warnings appeared on the cover of CDs with explicit lyrics and on television programs with inappropriate material and language. The growth of the media and networking has adapted an unsuitable roll on behalf of the youth identity, social networks, and parent-child relationships.

The media is an essential leg to the table of current issues, awareness and news. However, the Committee of National Academies explained that “claims and counterclaims about possible benefits and detrimental effects of different kinds of media exposure appear regularly in the popular press, but often without strong grounding in peer-reviewed research.” Continue reading →

DOVER, N.H.–Everyone remembers the crossroads they approached their senior year of high school: the decision of what the next step will be in their trail of life. Each potential path presents windows of opportunity as to what their lives may be and the type of person they will become. Currently Amelia Wright, a senior at Cocheco Arts Technology Academy in Barrington, N.H., is facing said crossroads.

“It’s really terrifying,” admits Wright, smiling nervously. “This is the first major decision you have to make which completely determines the type of person you’ll be.” Currently Wright is targeting a variety of schools, including Lesley College and Suffolk University. “Suffolk University’s unique and diverse campus is very appealing,” she states. “However, the campus appears to not have a strong school community, which is difficult to really like as an incoming freshman.” Wright’s concerns about Suffolk University’s school community stem from the unidentified center of campus. Continue reading →

Fifteen percent of young women adopt unhealthy attitudes and behaviors concerning food, a risk three times higher in women than in men according to statistics provided by Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. Their research also suggests that four out of 100 college-aged women have bulimia, while more than 10 percent of adolescent girls binge eat or purge at least once a week.

How did we as a nation arrive at these startling facts? In a world where appearance is everything, many people struggle daily with body image and the obsession and conquest for the “perfect” body. Young women compare themselves to others and want to be better, skinnier, prettier, only to make themselves feel superior. Continue reading →

BOSTON–Over the years, sex appeal has become more apparent in advertisements, movies, and television shows, but has the media taken it too far?

Provocative images of women cover television screens and magazine pages everywhere you turn. The National Eating Disorders Association reports that “one out of four TV commercials send some kind of attractiveness message, telling viewers what is and is not attractive.”

“Gossip Girl,” “90210,” and “The OC” are some popular prime-time television shows geared towards teenagers. These shows are entertaining but aren’t very realistic. They don’t teach teens practical views on sexual or moral behavior. The characters are high school students who live lavish lives from the upper east side of Manhattan to the beautiful beaches of Beverly Hills; a high school lifestyle that I doubt many get to enjoy.

These images give teens a false sense of reality, so they try to emulate these fictional characters, who are having promiscuous sex, drinking and dressing provocatively. Continue reading →

BOSTON–By the time Oct. 31 comes around, most malls and department stores have already completed their Christmas decorating, and Santa is just about ready to sit in his big red chair. But, aren’t the holidays stressful enough without us kicking off the mayhem two months in advance?

We all know there are many different types of shoppers when it comes down to this crucial time of year. There are those who have already completed their shopping by the time Dec. 1 hits, and those who don’t even start shopping until Dec. 23.

Those who start their holiday shopping early, more often than not, go with the understanding they are “beating the rush” and “avoiding lines.” But, there is a certain feeling of holiday cheer when shopping alongside others hearing “Jingle Bells” playing in the background. Continue reading →