5 Effects of Media on Mental Health of Children & Adolescents
Pic Courtesy: Dreamzstars
Children and adolescents have impressionable minds. They cannot distinguish between chimera and actuality. The media, without a doubt, influences children. It has a negative effect on vulnerable and naïve kids. They imbibe the dramatized situations as the gospel truth, which is damaging. The number of channels available and easily accessible screens has them glued. At an age when they should play outdoors or pursue their hobbies, they are becoming couch potatoes. It is not a misnomer to call the TV an idiot box. Compared to their friends, children who watch TV for long hours wind up struggling to comprehend simple lessons. These are 5 Effects of Media on Mental Health of Children & Adolescents.
5 Effects of Media on Mental Health of Children & Adolescents
1. Social Isolation and Electronic Media
We give easy access to computers, and children spend their time gaming or watching electronic media rather than spending time with friends or family. This could lead to aggression and detachment from their peers. They use the media as an emotional crutch to dodge stress and as a replacement for company. If there are no parental locks, kids can watch violent and adult content. This would have an adverse impact and make them obsessed with electronic media.
2. Media and Violence
Television or films are fictional and portray a violent person as a hero. This exaggerated depiction shows the hero emerging unscathed from a painless bloodbath. The media treats violence lightly and they pass it off as entertainment.
3. Effects on Children of Violence Shown on Television
This perpetual viewing of violence is prone to affect the mindset of children. Children who constantly watch violence in the mass media keep thinking about it. They become aggressive and feel that violence is normal behaviour. They idolize, imitate and identify with the heroes who exemplify violence. Kids interpret these stories, and reel life to solve real-life problems.
4. Suicide and Visual Media
Fear, nightmares, and anxiety in children are an outcome of excessive exposure to horror or violent movies. Movies glamorize suicide and portray different ways to do it. Most delinquent suicides are TV or movie-related ideas. The visual media report suicides as headlines with graphic images and the identity of the deceased. Adolescents believe they can make it to the news by imitating the same.
5. Gender Inequality and Media
Movies and daily soaps always depict girls as compulsive shoppers or their interest in boys. They discuss frivolous topics rather than educational or career ambitions. They flaunt males as the all-powerful protagonist who saves the damsel in distress. Girls with an hourglass figure and wearing skimpy attire are usually sexual targets. Boys are macho, with steroid-induced muscles showcasing brawn versus brain. They trivialize sexual harassment where they hound and ravish the victim while the molester walks off scot-free. This exposure to sexual activity and pornography in the mass media has led to teens indulging in sex.
Mindful Media is the Need of The Hour
Children and adolescents are growing fast mentally because of easy access and the ceaseless bombardment of electronic media. The visual media is so strong that it manipulates the brains of immature juveniles. They constantly render negative and inaccurate depictions of mentally ill patients. This creates a fictitious illusion. They relentlessly repeat and sensationalize the news, which will play on the psyche of impressionable minds. Instead of increasing their TRP, the media needs to be sensitised. Yellow journalism needs to be curbed. If the media reported with mindfulness, they could mitigate the shame and distortion of facts about mental illness.
‘This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.’
‘This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter’
Media is playing a major role in our lives. And kids are an easy target. When adults are not able to control it how can we expect that from kids. Being a mindful viewer can solve this issue to some extent.
Agree with you completely. unlimited usage of media affecting mental health of kids and young adult adversely. specially since pandemic, kids have developed a higher dependency on various gadgets and media. using media mindfully is need of hour and every parent should consider this aspect seriously.
I sometimes wonder whether the amount of access to media and gadgets is truly the bad thing, is it the content, or are , we the people who are responsible. I see children today are so very different from the children of earlier generations, and in most part i feel the media has been the biggest influencer! I dont know how much parents can really control what the children see, but i do agree that every step that can be taken, every precaution and conversation that can be done to help balance out what the children are seeing on social media is an important and good step.
Couldn’t agree more with this Harjeet. Media has made our children social recluse and it’s like they need no other company. An absolutely valid post.
This is so on par with my thoughts. I am so strict with screen time, my kids want to cry sometimes, but these are the things I explain to them and they divert their attention to other things… as of now… let’s see when they are older how it goes!
As a parent I try to keep my kids away from the harmful effects of media as much as possible but beyond a limit it isn’t in our control. Steps like limited screen time, parental locks and supervision can help though. It’s for their own good.
Kids are an easy target. Often I have seen parents bandung over their phones with opening youtube to them just so they can do their work. They dont even know what their kids r watching. People dont realize its negative effect.
Very helpful post.
This awareness is the need of time and with all the effects you have mentioned and we see around us, it is needed to stay alert. Childrens mind pick up things easily around them let it be media or physically. Precaution is required.
I totally agree with you and every point you have mentioned. We as parents sometimes just ignore or be very careless in checking what our kids are playing or watching, and if we do so we tend to be called controlling parents. But, I think we need to be vigilant and controlling, it’s no harm.
Media is giving too much information, too much violent, too much games and too much cartoon. I saw personally little kids so much depends on the gadgets. And we are responsible for this. To make them eat, to make us our me time, to fulfill our work etc for various reason we give the phone.
We introduce them media so we have to take necessary steps to control it.
Parents need to make wise choices in what their children are exposed to. Having a like-minded set of parents and kids also helps avoid peer-pressure which is one of the Tatiana kids watch what they watch. Kids talk about their media experiences in school and that compels other kids to want the same.
This is a much needed n relevant post Harjeet. The way kids are glued to devices these days is a matter of grave concern. Despite having a big, safe compound to play in, the 1st preference of my kids is to stay at home n watch… even with friends. I have to force them to go out n altho I have set parental controls, I am still scared of what they may watch. Btw, the pics you’ve chosen are really good.
Apart from violence, cartoons etc. I would also blam social media for short attention spans. When you could stimulate your brain in a 15s reel, it forgets to pay attention for longer durations. An extremely relevant blogpost for current times.
A very important post. Everything is available at your fingertips these days and kids prefer to be online than go out. The media is doing more damage than good.
I definitely feel parents have a responsibility to educate their children about the media and limit the time they spend in front of the screen. Interesting write up
Your post is on point. Particularly the media and violence pic. It reminded me of post 9/11 when little kids were so affected by the twin towers video that they would include it in their playtime.
Aah! This is such an important and relevant topic that needs so much awareness and discussion. Media has a massive impact on the mental health of children and given that they are exposed to it from such a young age and that they spend so much time consuming it… the adverse effects are manifold. There’s so much of aggression, risky behaviour, depression, poor performance in studies, poor attention span, sleep disorders to name a few.
I feel media has been very irresponsible in terms of their content. They are just bothered about their TRP and nothing else. Again as a parent it becomes a bigger responsibility to keep a watch and how much to expose kids. Very important topic to be talk about.
Couldn’t t agree more on this? Media is becoming the silent poison of everyone’s lives, irrespective of age. So there won’t be any wrong ness if I say that media is one of the majorly running addictions in the present time.
This is so informative and helpful, I wasn’t aware of these repercussions. The pointer that was the most relatable was the media and violence one.
My husband and I’ve been very vigilant about what our kids watch on TV and set up locks and passwords on YouTube to control it too. Media has a lot to show and kids don’t know what good and bad for them and they can easily get influenced with what they see.
I totally agree with your article. Recently I went on an outing with my 6 year old nephew and the influence video games and YouTube has on him was alarming. The kids so influenced are more violent by nature. It is the parents responsibility to keep their kids away from such influence.
Media plays a great role and by keeping a tab on our children we can assure that they are not watching that is not appropriate to them. Taking help of apps and security checks one can keep children away from these.
Media is giving too much information. Steps like limited screen time, parental locks and supervision can help though. It’s for their own good.
I think there should be some kind of censorship on the use of media and mobile from the government
So true Harjeet – not just of TV but all kinds of media really.
Good points! My kids have recently grown up and I feel thankful that they seem to have turned out well, even though they had so much exposure to mindless TV and endless hours on the internet!