WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Media affect the way we think, feel, and behave. Used responsibly, they present unprecedented opportunities for connecting, sharing, and learning. Unfortunately, many of our youth command the power of these tools without the necessary media literacy and critical thinking skills to navigate them safely. The result is a host of negative outcomes and public health issues that affect their quality of life and prospects for the future.

Fake News and Information Quality

Fake news and low quality information online can be difficult for some adults to detect, and for youth who are still developing, cognitively and emotionally.

One in five adolescents believe information they find online through search engines like Google or Bing is true.

Studies suggest that teens fall short when evaluating credibility in digital media space, failing both to recognize and properly interpret advertising.

More than half of the respondents in a Pew Internet survey of over 2,000 middle and high school teachers rated their students’ ability to assess quality and accuracy online as either “poor” or “fair.”

Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Media play a significant role in the use of alcohol –the number one drug associated with teen car crashes– and other drugs among young people.

Alcohol appears on 77% of TV episodes, and 33% of drinking scenes are humorous and involve successful or influential characters.

Studies show that youth drug use increases when the perceived danger of using drugs decreases.

In 2012, 69% of teens had consumed alcohol (more than just a few sips), and 54% of 12^th graders reported having been drunk at least once in their life.

Violence and Bullying

30 years of research have concluded that viewing media violence leads to increased aggressive attitudes, values, and long-lasting behavioral and personality effects, including criminality.

The average young person will have seen 200,000 acts of violence and aggression in media by the time they are 18.

Researchers have linked exposure to violent media in youth to physical assaults and spousal abuse in adulthood.

The Association of Psychological Science reported that excessive consumption of violent media suppresses the neural mechanism responsible for self-control.

Materialism and Self-image

Sometimes media can have a negative impact on personal values and self-image, influencing materialism, low self-esteem, and other psychoemotional issues in youth.

Youths today are more brand conscious than ever.

Teens are more self-conscious, more self-doubtful, and prone to perceive and/or affirm their self-worth through a brand.

Studies suggest an association between the often, highly idealized brand images conveyed in media and mental health disorders in young people, from depression to body dysmorphia.

Poor Academic Performance

Media can also be linked to poor performance in the classroom among youth.

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found a link between heavy media use and lower grade scores among adolescents.

The same study found that 47% of all heavy media users say they usually get fair or poor grades, compared to 23% of light media users.

64% of middle and high school teachers in a Pew Internet survey felt that new media technology was more of a distraction to their students.

Sexualization and Sexual Health

The often unrealistic and inaccurate depictions of sex in media can be linked to sexual health consequences among young people.

In 2011, 92% of songs in Billboard’s Top 100 had sexual messages, with roughly 10.49 sexual references per song.

Youths who frequently listen to sexualized lyrics and watch sexualized music videos are more likely to have more sex partners and nearly twice as likely to acquire an STD.

CDC reports estimate young people aged 15-24 accounting for 50% of all new STD infections, though they only represent 25% of the sexually experienced population.

Screen Overdose and Obesity

Excessive media screen time has been linked to serious health issues among youth, from obesity to diabetes.

49% of youth spend more than 2 hours a day, sedentary, in front of television screens.

Extended periods of television viewing are associated with high calorie intake and poor diet quality, with food and beverage ads influencing food consumption.

Too much time sitting increases the risk of obesity, chronic diseases, and early death.

Compulsive Texting

Compulsive texting has been found to have a negative impact on teenagers’ grades, school bonding, and other disfunctions.

Teenagers send and receive an average of 167 text messages per day, making texting the most popular mode of communication among them.

Middle, high school, and college students spend, on average, less than 6 minutes on their studies before being distracted with texting or social media.

Researchers have found that high rates of texting, combined with interpersonal stress, are related to lower levels of emotional well-being.