In general, censorship tends to be counterproductive and dangerous and something that we associate more with dictatorships than with free societies. However, having said that, there are instances with regards to children where we do choose to apply controls and where this may be justified. There will always be conflict between parents and teenagers over certain things and music tends to be one of the battle grounds. In this article, I'll outline some of the arguments that can be made in favour of parental control.
1. Violent lyrics and/or bad language:
There are some bands whose lyrics express violent viewpoints and/or contain bad language. Rap music and heavy metal are probably the two genres that have attracted the most criticism in this regard. I'd argue that most of the bands in this genre are harmless and the worst that may happen when listening to their music is the threat of impaired hearing! However, there is no doubt that there are some bands (and songs) that express violent misogynist or racist lyrics or otherwise objectionable content.
We can't, of course, control the music that teens listen to when they're at friends homes or at discos but you do have the option of prohibiting them from listening to objectionable music whilst they're under your roof. However, rather than going in heavy-handed with a blanket ban, it's always advisable firstly to speak to them and try to explain why you are concerned over the music. It is always more effective to convince your son or daughter that you are right rather than simply to throw about your parental power. Ultimately, though, you have a right not to be subjected to music that you find objectionable in your own home, so the ultimate sanction is to ban them from playing such songs.
You may also feel, with some justification, that listening to debatable music may result in the misogynist, racist or homophobic attitudes rubbing off on your kids. The difficult bit, though, is protecting them without causing them to rebel against you. A teenager who may have only had a mild affiliation with the latest shock rap band may suddenly develop a fervent devotion to them, simply because you have said they can't listen to their music!
2. Music that clashes with your culture or belief systems:
I suppose the main thing that comes under this category is the sensitive issue of religious beliefs. Muslim families may be opposed to female singers who bare lots of flesh. Christian parents are sometimes opposed to music that they see as being blasphemous or as glorifying devil worship.
Again, a degree of care has to be taken when it comes to controlling the music choices of your children. We should bring our kids up fully informed about all of the options with regards to religion and spirituality and allow them to make their own choices. It's therefore not enough, in my opinion, for the music to be contrary to your particular belief system. I would argue that the music would need to be pretty extreme before I would make a decision to ban it. However, having grown up in Northern Ireland (where religious intolerance has blighted many generations) I would probably prohibit music that I felt was inciting hatred against another community. Again, this action would have to be a last resort as it would be much more effective to convince your son or daughter of why the music is objectionable and harmful.
3. Where there are younger children in the household:
A fifteen year old may be mature enough not to take the lyrics of shock rock or rap bands too seriously but you may be concerned that their six year old sibling won't be able to make that distinction. There may therefore be instances where parents will tell their teenage children that it's okay to listen to certain types of music but only if they do it with their headphones on.
4. Music that is used to fund terrorist or racist organizations:
Occasionally, you hear stories about bands, who have extreme political views. During the Eighties, I remember there were rumours about singers who were donating money to support the IRA's terrorist campaigns. Similarly, there may be bands who donate to racist organizations. That feels like me to be a pretty good reason for imposing a ban, although it's important to try to verify whether the rumours are true.
5. Awful music:
Novelty singles, boy bands, girl bands, Cliff Richard. All of these will be banned in my household if/when I have teenagers in my house! Okay, that's perhaps a bit light-hearted but I would possibly consider a ban if my son or daughter chose to repeatedly play awful music for long durations and at high decibels in my house. I particularly couldn't stand to have to put up with techno/rave type music, which has no redeeming features as far as I'm concerned. All individuals in a household have to be respectful of each other and be mindful that their musical tastes may lead to migraines and a diminishment of enjoyment for their loved ones.
Summary:
I've presented some arguments here for instances where it may be justified for parents to impose controls over what their teens listen to and/or how they listen to such music. I strongly believe that censorship should only be the last resort and that's it's much more effective to have open two-way dialogue with your kids to explain why a certain type of music may not be suitable.
My view is that bans introduced on music by parents are often counterproductive and often they are based on personal bias and ignorance. I'm a keen heavy metal fan, for example, but listening to bands such as Iron Maiden, AC/DC and Guns N'Roses hasn't led to me being a devil worshipper, or a misogynist or bigot. It's important to remember that our teenage years are often a very trying period in our lives. Teenagers are trying to figure out their place in society and may feel awkward and lonely. That they turn to bands that may appear non mainstream is fairly normal and doesn't mean that they are going to become anti social or damaged individuals.