by Elaine Sihera

Created on: October 27, 2009

The media has a lot to answer for in our modern world because its influence is most pervasive in our lives. For example, it seems that teens spend more than 38 hours per week being engrossed in it, which is almost four times as much as the average time they spend doing their schoolwork.

Being exposed to it from an early age, in the form of television, radio, advertising, product promotion and the Internet, the effects can be clearly seen on many teens who often find themselves alone after school with just the television for company, for example. It is thus tempting to spend as much time watching it , downloading music or playing video games, rather than doing their homework or more useful activities.

There seems to be three main effects of the media on youngsters:

A. Being exposed to adult content before they are mature enough to appreciate it. Television programs, and some video games, seem to have sexually explicit content and violence as a matter of routine because of the tacit belief that "sex and violence sex sells." However, repeated exposure to violent content can have negative repercussions, as the daily news reminds us with alarming clarity whenever someone acts out what they have read or seen.

B. Being engaged by it in such a way that it distracts them from other important activities, like their education and leisure pursuits. The problem is that, once teens fall behind in their academic skills, it will be more difficult for them to catch up. This could have long-term implications for them and society, especially when more qualified people will be needed for even more advanced jobs in the future and there won't be enough professionals available.

C. Being exposed to so much of it that it becomes a substitute for other essential activities like having exercises and eating healthy foods. In time it gradually affects their well being. Not surprisingly, there as been a marked increase in teen obesity, school violence (as children copy what they see in games and TV), poor reading and maths skills, while reading just for leisure seems a thing of the past!

In order for parents to combat media influence on their teens, it has to be accepted that the media in its present form will not be going away. It is here to stay. So how can parents fight the more negative effects of it, or protect their children from being influenced? There are several ways but the following main ones should be useful.

1. Encourage your teen to do all the important tasks first before

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