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Children Media Consumption: 7.5 Hours a Day

January 23, 2010 16 Comments

Children Consume nearly 8 hours of Media per Day

Kaiser Family Foundation released their most recent media usage study. Six years ago they found the usage of 8 to 18 year old was about 6 hours and 21 minutes of media consumption a day. This recent study shows that the media consumption rate has risen to 7 hours and 38 minutes. That is almost as much time as adults spend at work except remember that adults only work 5 days a week.

Youth Children Media Consumption Statistics

The amount of media consumed by children has always been a point of concern as media has been found to have great affects in molding a child’s view of the world. It has become all the more important that parents watch over what their children are consuming and what kind of message they are taking in.

Some things parents can do are to regulate what kind and what type of media their children consume. Another is to watch what your kids are watching together so you can explain how best to process the message it portrays. Another is to ensure internet safety for kids with tools that can supervise online activities.

With the proliferation of online media, increased video sharing, and mobile media – these numbers are shocking, yet they are not a surprise.

For the first time, Traditional TV consumption actually fell as other mediums such as video games, music, online media and movie watching has increased. What is even more wild is that kids are often watching multiple forms of media at once. The actual consumption of media was found to be closer to 10 hours and 45 minutes.

Articles

You’re Teaching My Child What? – Dr. Miriam Grossman

November 10, 2009 7 Comments

The sex-ed lobby has always claimed it was all about health—teaching kids how to stay safe. But in reality, their goal was not preventing disease, pregnancy, and emotional distress. It’s about indoctrinating them into a radical ideology—sexual freedom….

What’s the result of this [sex education] teaching? One in four American girls now has a sexually transmitted disease. – Breakpoint

Are sex educators not providing the latest medical facts?
Are we really missing out on scientific facts about our sexual health?
What are the latest findings on the effects of living with sexual freedom?
What are those scientific facts! Am I in danger?

Dr. Miriam Grossman vs. Sex Educators

Dr. Miriam Grossman M.D, a board certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, recently wrote a book called “You’re Teaching My Kid What?”.

She writes about the fact that sex educators as well as the SIECUS [Sexual Information and Education Council of the US], the organization that sets the standard for sex education, are not presenting the medical facts thus rather than empowering people to make the right decisions, they are giving them a false sense of security with disastrous results.

One example is how sex educators urge kids to avoid pregnancy by engaging in oral sex. But what about the medical facts?

Advertising

France to Regulate Airbrushed & Photoshopping Pictures

September 29, 2009 2 Comments

France: Regulate those Manipulated Pictures!

This is going to create some interesting controversy. French lawmakers have decided to regulate airbrushing photos by requiring disclaimers on photos that are photoshopped or enhanced in any way. Image manipulation has been a practice going on since long before photoshop, to create stunning and perfect pictures for advertisement purposes. This action was taken as a way of fighting against body image issues at the source.

This disclaimer would be needed in newspapers, photos, magazines, political pieces, product packaging, art photography and any situation where there is a “retouched photograph aimed at changing a person’s physical appearance.”

Hours of Hair & Makeup followed by Hours of Photo Manipulation

Even after hours of hair and makeup styling, photos used in print often go through hours of photo manipulation. Some very common practices are to slim waistlines, slim the hips, lengthen the neck and legs, alter facial structures, increase symmetry, widen eyes, fix nose shape, have a woman’s breast lifted, change skin colors, add shadows, add tones, move eyebrows, remove bad marks, erase freckles, change the background, and stylize the hair. An altered photo can look dramatically different from the original.

The photo above is an example of what photoshop can do in a mere 5 minutes of photoshop work. During a 5 minute segment on Homepage, a show on CP24, Greg Danbrooke demonstrated how Photoshop is the real tool behind the perfection we see on magazine covers and billboards.

Check out the step by step difference here

Also if you haven’t seen the Dove Evolution Video watch it!

This law was proposed by French MP Valirie Boyer who also released a report on anorexia and bulimia. The concern has always been the effects of unrealistic body images has on young boys and girls. Starting at an early age a girl is exposed to so many images of beautiful celebrities, disproportionate barbie dolls, photos of women who have slender body types and seemingly perfect features. It is no wonder 62% of girls feel insecure about themselves and 81% of 10 years old fears getting fat.

“Many young people, particularly girls, do not know the difference between the virtual and reality, and can develop complexes from a very young age. In some cases this leads to anorexia or bulimia and very serious health problems.” – French MP Valerie Boyer

50+ French politicians have voiced their support for this legislation. The fine for breaking this law would be a fine of approximately $48K USD or 50% of the campaign costs.

[poll id=”14″]

Do you think this law is a good idea or a bad idea?
Do you think this law should pass?
Is photoshopped bodies a detriment to self-image especially in children?

Please share your thoughts below!

Video Games

Video Gamers at Risk for Health Problems

August 26, 2009 No Comments

Boy Staring - Video Games The Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came out with a study this week that suggests that gaming habits developed as a youth carries with them into adulthood. Specifically those who played video games as a child or a teenager have a trend to become inactive and have more health issues.

The study included 552 adults between 19 and 90 in the Washington State area. Gaming once was considered a children centric activity but in this study, 50% of gamers were found to be within the 18 to 49 age while 25% were 50 and older. Those in the younger age between 8 to 34 showed many signs of addiction.

TV Shows

Vampire Influence on Teenager Self Identity

June 25, 2009 2 Comments

Twilight Vampire Teenager Influence Twilight by Stephanie Meyers?
Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber?
Blue Bloods by Melissa de La Cruz?

Heard of these titles? These are just an example of the rise of the vampire genre in recent literature and film. Popular among the youth, these books presents unique young characters catering to different types of teenagers. Unlike traditional vampire stories where vampires are blood-sucking epitome of evil, these new modern vampires are young teenagers discovering their self-identity and going through all the awkwardness and problems of a typical teenager boy or girl. Oh, plus dealing with immortality and dealing with inter species relationships. Of course.

As teenagers go through physical and emotional changes, they have to deal with new feelings and desires they have never felt before. They are often confused, full of anxiety, constantly focused on how they measure to those around them and always self-conscious as they try to form their own sense of self-identity. Unfortunately, outside of family influence, most of their identity gets formed through the peer pressures of school and the unrelenting media. The media fills their minds with images of what is cool, what is normal, and what is not. It helps mold their self-perception as they compare themselves with what they see on screen or read in books because that is what they perceive reality to be.

Each of these vampire stories cater to a different type of teenager. Twilight is catered to a wider audience and all awkward teenage girls and boys. Vampire Kisses is focused on the insecure teenager discovering herself. Blue Bloods cater to the fashion, shopping type. Regardless, the issues of peer pressure, discovering love, the anxieties of adolescent life is something the youth are drawn towards.

If you are interested in a small summary of each of these series and info on the main teenage character check out this article on vampire influences on self identification.

Have you read any of these books?
What is your take on the teenager characters?
Are they good examples or bad examples?
How do you think it is influencing the teenagers of today?

Internet

Pro Anorexia “Pro Ana” Sites on Facebook

June 16, 2009 3 Comments

A Web page labeled “Ana Boot Camp” recently offered its members a seemingly irresistible proposition: a 30-day regimen designed to help them drop some serious pounds, no exercise needed. The catch was that the group’s members were to vary their daily caloric intake from 500 (less than half the daily minimum requirement for women recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine) to zero. They were supposed to track their progress, fast to make up for the days they accidentally “overate” and support each other as they worked toward their common goal of radical weight loss.

Pro Anorexia or “Pro-Ana” Sites

Pro-anorexia, or sometimes called “pro-ana,” Web sites have been a common fixture in the internet world. The site quoted above was actually a page created in Facebook. These sites have users sharing dangerous diet tips and posting pictures of very skinny girls. The purpose of these sites is to give one another “thinspiration”. Users tend to comment and posting anonymously or with a secret aliases.

“These sites provided a setting where I could talk about the illness without people trying to fix me or tell me that what I’m doing is horrible, disgusting, maladaptive… For me, part of the illness was just about getting attention. You feel so lonely and you want someone to notice you, and I guess that’s kind of the way to do it, even with other sick people.” – Rose 17, Maryland High School Senior

Advertising, Articles

Unnaturally Beautiful Children: Image & Beauty

May 19, 2009 13 Comments

In 2004, a survey by NPD Group showed that on average, girls started to use beauty products at the age of 17. Today that average is 13.

Influence of Media on Children & Beauty

There’s a scene in “Toddlers & Tiaras,” the TLC reality series, where 2-year-old Marleigh is perched in front of a mirror, smothering her face with blush and lipstick. She giggles as her mother attempts to hold the squealing toddler still, lathering her legs with self-tanner. “Marleigh loves to get tan,” her mom says, as the girl presses her face against the mirror.

: Children’s Perception of Beauty (Newsweek)

The quote above is about Marleigh, one of the pageant girls on the show. Does anyone find something disturbing about this picture? She is two years old. Unfortunately the ridiculousness of this scene doesn’t end on screen, it is a depiction of our current generation.

What do these shows have in common? “Extreme makeover”, “I Want a Famous Face” “Little Miss Perfect” “Toddlers & Tiaras”. These are shows centered around raising the bar of what is considered the norm when it comes to beautifying our children.

With reality TV shows, thousands of beauty product commercials, air-brushed magazine ads, and beautiful celebrities adorning every movies we watch, the norm of the importance of beauty has changed dramatically. In 2004, a survey by NPD Group showed that on average, girls started to use beauty products at the age of 17. Today that average is 13.

But even that figure could be an overstatement. According to a market research firm Experian,

43 percent of 6 to 9 year olds are already using lipstick or lip gloss
38 percent are using hairstyling products
12 percent use other other cosmetic products

By the time they are 50 years old, an average women would have spent nearly $300,000 on just their hair and face according to Newsweek’s research on beauty trends (noted below). But is this surprising considering girls ages 11 to 14 are exposed to 500+ advertisements per day? 8 to 12 years old already spend $40+ million a month on beauty products according to NPD Group. Teenagers? $100 Million.

More Statistics on Beauty

Cosmetic Surgery Procedures for Under 18 – Doubled last 10 years
14% of Botox injections given to 19-34 age group, seeking “preventative treatments”
[American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery]
42% of 1st to 3rd Graders want to be thinner
81% of 10 years olds fear getting fat

“When you have tweens putting on firming cream… it’s clear they’re looking for imaginary flaws,” – Harvard psychologist Nancy Etcoff

Full Article on Beauty

True Cost of Lifetime Beauty

Economy got you down? Trying to pinch a few pennies here and there? How about cutting out on some beauty products and enhancements! See the chart below.

	Tweens	Teen/20s	30-40s	50s	Lifetime
Hair	$1,260	$15,761	$23,640	$169,274	$209,935
Face	$3,900	$32,684	$108,660	$21,840	$167,084
Body	$0	$10,586	$17,820	$16,366	$44,772
Hands/Feet	$2,010	$6,834	$8,040	$10,452	$27,336
Totals	$7,170	$65,865	$158,160	$217,932	$449,127

See Beauty Spend Breakdown Here

What are your thoughts about young children and teens spending so much time and money on beautifying themselves?
How about Adults?
What can be done to help push up against our image driven culture?
Can anything be done?

Articles, Movies, Music Video, TV Shows

Teenager Pregnancy Statistics – Good News?

May 11, 2009 1 Comment

Did You Know: 3 in 10 girls in the United States gets pregnant before age 20.

Finally Some Good News – Teen Pregnancy

Could it be? Good news about teen pregnancy rates? According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, teen pregnancy rates in the United States declined 38 percent between 1990 and 2004. Teen birth rate also declined 32 percent between 1991 and 2006. This was the case across all ethnic groups. More teenagers are waiting longer before having sex and those who were sexually active were using contraception. Great news right?

Well, it is good news that teenage pregnancies are were falling because it is noted that some teenagers are waiting longer. That is commendable. Shows better self-control. Shows perhaps some teenagers are putting a greater value on themselves, their body, as well as their actions.

However the fact that most of the decrease was due to the wider use of contraceptives doesn’t say anything about the continual growth of promiscuous living. Promiscuous living is live and well, all the more as media continues to feed such lifestyles as normal and something to be emulated. Sex is glamorized, one night stands common, making “love” and giving yourself to someone painted as something special. TV Shows, Movies, Music videos among other forms of media also often portrays that happiness can only be found in that one and only, thus fueling girls to make it their goal to find that perfect guy and giving up themselves along the process. As recent as 2007, 50% of teens have already had sex, 33% already by 9th grade.

That Wasn’t the Only Catch

Unfortunately this good news has recently taken a back step. Between 2005 and 2007, teen birth rates turned positive increasing 5 percent. The decline in sexual activity and the increase in contraceptive use both have come to halt.

Articles

Teens: Imitating 87 Hours of Watching Porn

April 20, 2009 3 Comments

A recent research study, conducted by Cyber Sentinel, of 1,000 teenagers showed that the average teenager spends 87 hours a year looking at porn. That is equivalent of 1 hour and 40 minutes a week browsing for pornography.

What other topics did the teenagers search for online?

31 hours a week looking at soft pornography, plastic surgery, family planning, emotional support and dieting.
1 Hour 8 Minutes on cosmetic surgery sites on procedures like breast augmentation and collagen implants.
Teens also go online to find information on pregnancy, contraceptives, sex and weight loss.

“The alarming thing about this research is that it shows that teenagers are obviously exploring all sorts of topics as a result of modern-day pressures. For instance, pressure to emulate celebrity standards of beauty is resulting in teens spending a significant amount of time researching cosmetic surgery.” – Ellie Puddle, Marketing Director of Cyber Sentinel

A piece of statistic that is alarming about this study is that teenagers were left alone to surf the internet for an average of 2 hours a day. Without adult supervision and with the freedom to do as one please, it is no wonder teenagers are easily able to access pornography.

The effects of pornography on teenagers are well documented through numerous studies and cases. A recent study from the journal CyberPsychology and Behavior showed that exposure to pornography leads teenagers to lose their virginity at a much younger age. They were also more likely to initiate oral sex as they imitate what they see on screen.

What other effects have been found to be linked with viewing pornography?

Rise in STD levels
Higher Teenager Pregnancies Rates
Sexually active earlier

“The internet is having some kind of accelerant effect, influencing and changing behavior. Males are having oral sex and losing their virginity much younger when they are exposed to pornography, sometimes by a good three or four years for oral sex or two years for their virignity.” – Shane Krauss, Psychologist

Articles, Featured

Girl Self-Esteem & Image Issues & Parents

March 25, 2009 104 Comments

Girls Self Image

Almost across the nation 50% of young girls are engaged in negative activities such as injuring and cutting themselves or engaging in unhealthy eating habits and disorders due to self-esteem and self-image issues.

Girl Self-Esteem & Image Issues

Dove’s Campaign on True Beauty came with a bang last year with their poignant videos that went viral all over the web:

Evolution Video

Onslaught Video

Have you visited their site? It has quite a good number of statistical data in regards to Girls and Self-Image. They have information as well as workshops in helping a girl with their self-esteem. They also have a map with top cities and the individual studies they did in each area. I’ve summarized their statistics and findings below.

Here is the executive summary:

Self-esteem has become a crisis in this country. The majority of girls feel they do not measure up in some way including their looks, performance in school and relationships. Most disturbing is that girls with low self-esteem are three times more likely than girls with high self-esteem to engage in harmful and destructive behavior that can leave a lasting imprint on their lives.

Highlights: Real Girls, Real Pressure National Study

TV Shows

The Secret Life of the American Teenager – Sex Obsessed ABC “Family Channel”

February 26, 2009 16 Comments

Influence of Sexual TV Programming on Teenagers

“This is the strongest evidence yet that the sexual content of television programs encourages adolescents to initiate sexual intercourse and other sexual activities. The impact of television viewing is so large that even a moderate shift in the sexual content of adolescent TV watching could have a substantial effect on their sexual behavior.”

This article discusses two new programs on ABC called “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and “Greek”. ABC has traditionally known as a “family channel” have new programs that centers around sex themes for high schoolers and college students.

A high-school guidance counselor agrees to change a student’s schedule so that he is more likely to meet a girl who will have sex with him. A cheerleader breaks up with her boyfriend after discovering that he accepted oral sex from the school tramp. A good-girl French horn player discovers she is pregnant after a one-night stand at band camp and debates with a friend whether or not to terminate the pregnancy.

Sound like the kind of racy fare one might see on HBO or its slightly tamer cousin, the CW? Think again. The previous scenes come from The Secret Life of the American Teenager, a hit show on ABC Family that is changing the network’s image and may change parents’ minds on whether to allow their children to watch the channel.

Articles, Internet, News

Teens Sharing Nude Photos Online – Impact in Real Life Behavior

February 23, 2009 3 Comments

“What teens and young adults are doing electronically seems to have an effect on what they do in real life: Nearly one-quarter of teens (22%) admit that technology makes them personally more forward and aggressive. More than one-third of teens (38%) say exchanging sexy content makes dating or hooking up with others more likely and nearly one-third of teens (29%) believe those exchanging sexy content are “expected” to date or hook up.”

This articles discusses how social media sites as well as advances in communicative technology via cell phones are sometimes used by teenagers to transmit private information to friends. Some realize the risk they are taking, others do not. Unfortunately the use of these mediums in these perverse ways are affecting the way they behave in real life.

Teens Sharing Nude Photos Online – Impact in Real Life

News Excerpt from MSNBC – Family & Parenting

When it comes to sex, tech and teens don’t make the best bedfellows. As tech-savvy teens become increasingly fluent with new technology, from social networking sites to tricked-out new cell phones, research finds the negative consequences stacking up.

According to the results of a survey released today by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and CosmoGirl.com, 22 percent of all teen girls — and 11 percent of teen girls ages 13-16 years old — say they have electronically sent, or posted online, nude or semi-nude images of themselves.