It's unfortunate that many can't distinguish truth from fiction. Start teaching it.
Problems
Technology / media
It does its job well
Kids will always learn from their parents, whether it be positive or negative. However, there are also outside forces that influence your children. The top influence beyond parents themselves is one that always causes debate: the media.
The media performs its job well by hitting its target audience at the bull's eye almost every time. It's their job to make money. For the most part, they really don't care about your children's health, safety, or well-being.
Television, movies, videogames, music, radio, billboards, magazines, cell phone text messages, internet pop-up windows, e-mails…your child is going to be hit with these advertising techniques everyday. There is no way around it.
What is it advertising?
There are some good advertising techniques reached to target young kids in understanding the dangers of drugs and the positives of being educated. However, its impact is small because they hardly ever appear when your child is present to notice.
For the most part, the media is known to publicize the acceptance of drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, and so forth. We see it all the time on television and hear it in song lyrics. I shouldn’t have to get into detail about how the media positively portrays many negative topics because we know it—the media is good at lying.
As longs as it grabs your attention, that's all they care about. If you believe that the stories are true or that the thin and attractive girl on the front cover is actually real…well, the media did their job.
Can you get mad about it?
I suppose you can get angry by the fact that the media shows so much more negativity than good. Can you also get mad at yourself for letting these media influences flourish by possibly buying them for your children in the form of music, videogames, their own personal televisions in their rooms, or magazines? Responsibility runs both ways.
Your child will be surrounded by influencing advertisements. The important key you must help your child understand is the skill of distinguishing truth from fiction.
