by Charlene C

Created on: October 20, 2009

To fight the media's influence on your teens' lifestyle you have to go into battle armed and ready to pull the trigger. Teens today are bombarded by the media through television, radio, and the biggest monster of them all; the Internet. The Internet has literally opened teens up to whole new worlds. Through the Internet teens have access to more information than they can even really comprehend at their young age.

How do you fight this media Goliath that is threatening to steal your teenager's innocence and what is left of their childhood. Arm yourself. Invest in parental controls on your television as well as your home computers. Monitor what your teens are watching, listening to on their ipods, and surfing on the Internet. If you walk into your teens room and they cover up the computer monitor then there is cause to be alarmed. It should never be okay in your home for you teenager to refuse to let you see what is on their myspace page or what they are looking up on the Internet.

Stay involved in your teens life. Of course parents are working more than ever and can not make every sport event or recital but it should be your priority as a parent to make sure you are involved with your teenager. You need to know what they are reading and watching. If your child is addicted to tabloid magazines then you may need to sit your child down and explain the dangers of celebrity and that it is not all glamorous and explain how that lifestyle is often associated with drug and alcohol abuse and that it can be a tough road. Reality television opened up a whole new breed of celebrity and many teens may be confused by what it actually means to be a celebrity versus an actor or musician.

Do not be afraid to pull the trigger and lay down the law. If you have to take privileges away then do it. Let your teen know you care and that there are consequences for disobeying rules. Set a good example. Live your life the way would want you child to live. No matter what they see in the media, what they see at home has an even bigger influence.

When you are battling the media your best defense is to educate yourself about what is going on in the world. Do not bury your head in the sand. Stay on top of the latest information that is floating around on the Internet, television, and radio. Teenagers are very resourceful and a parent needs to be just as resourceful. Know what your teenager has access to and know what they are trying to access. Stay involved.

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