How To Handle Media Influences On Youth

Exposure to media is a part of modern life, but you can help your child identify what is worth spending time and what isn’t and how Handle Media Influences On Youth . Here are some ways to handle the influence of social media on teenagers:

• Check out the music, movies, TV shows, games and celebrities your child likes. Once you know what is interesting to him, you can spot the pictures and messages that are influencing him.
• It is quite easy for your teen to watch YouTube videos on mobiles so that you may not know what he is watching. Try monitoring your child on what he is watching on TV or the internet and try to negotiate some limits and rules.
• One of the best ways to help your teen navigate the influences on media is to talk about messages. For instance, if your teen loves girls, you can talk to him about female friendships, life choices, self-esteem and sexuality.
• Monitoring your teen’s choices does not mean you ban him from watching media. It is just making him aware of the negative influences. It is a good idea to limit on how much your teen plays video games or watches TV.
• You should also choose to ban some apps, shows and games. Explain why you are doing so.
• You can also encourage your teen to interpret media by putting forward some questions he can ask. Pick out a TV ad or a magazine and ask your teen: who’s behind it, what is their motivation, how does it make him feel, what does he need from it, and so on.
• You can do the same with your teen’s role model. Encourage your teen to ask himself like why does he like that celebrity, does he follow him in real life, what values of the celebrity interest your teen and so on.

Tips For Parents:

You as a parent have the responsibility to help your teen make the right choices. Here are a few tips to make media a positive influence in your teen’s life:

• Sit down as a family and discuss the pros and cons of media. Encourage your teen to express her feelings about various programs and media outlets.
• Help your teen differentiate between reality and fantasy.
• Try to keep TVs, video games, etc. out of your teen’s bedroom.
• Use parental control. Block channels and websites you think are inappropriate for your teen. But make sure to tell your teenager why exactly you have blocked these media outlets.
• Limit TV viewing to 2-3 hours every day. Try to spend time together as a family doing other activities.