Various media platforms have been continuously publishing as long as they made money. The content they post on multiple platforms is not filtered; they are pushing any material as long as they get to reach the customers. Therefore, the media has been the critical factor in the influencing of the youths and adolescents into drugs. Most of the children and the adolescents have copied the habit of misusing medications since the media pushes this content without regulations. The media has a significant role to play when it comes to creating public awareness on the disadvantages of using illicit substances, but then, they execute the contrary. As per the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), several factors cause the substance use among the youths, but the media is the leading in the influencing of this habit among the millennials (Levinthal, 2014). This research paper will address the role that media has played in influencing the children, adolescents, and the youths into substance use; it will discuss the illicit substances and what the users are likely to suffer from if not regulated.
Tobacco and alcohol are the most abused substances by the adolescents. It is approximated that the companies of tobacco spend almost 25 billion dollars just on advertising tobacco substance and alcohol per year (Levinthal, 2014). This has been encouraging the media houses to push this content more because they make many of the adverts. Unlike in the past, the mode of advertising nowadays has significantly changed, the media is depicting and portraying these substances positively instead of publishing how harmful they are. The use of tobacco and alcohol possesses a considerable danger to the children in the American society. Teenagers are the most affected people in the community as compared to the adults. The research conducted on substance use says that about 30 percent of the youths who abuse drugs are motivated by what they see from the media adverts (Levinthal, 2014). The irony is that the substance adverts are viewed more than 2000 times a year on various platforms like televisions, radios and published papers. In this case, they see the adverts that encourage the use of adverts more than they know the content was discouraging the use of these substances.
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The entertainment platforms are also part of the people encouraging the use of these drugs. When discussing the drugs topically, the entertainment media is portrayed as people who give praise and honor to the illicit drugs. For instance, in movies, in various video songs, the artists are seen enjoying smoking and drinking the illegal brew, this is the character the youths emulate since these artists are their role models. They have influenced the use of these substances heavily. Nowadays the video scenes with smoking are dominating in many media platforms more so the entrainment media. 20 percent of the shows in the local TVs are filled with many drinking and smoking scenes (Levinthal, 2014). The research done in various places concludes that the abuse of drugs among the young is sometimes caused by the peer pressure influence. When the youths realize their friends are drug users, they try to imitate the character so that they can be equal. According to the AAP, at least in every 22 minutes of the movie, there exist two scenes of smoking or drinking alcohol. In California, a research was conducted on over 1000 ninth graders, and it was established that the increased rate of music and television viewing with the substance use scenes is very dangerous to the young generation in general (Levinthal, 2014). The principal risk factor is contributing to the drug abuse among the adolescents.
The above is the summary of the findings that was realized in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) article. This research paper will go ahead and discuss the contrast and the comparison of the portrayal of substance use in various media platforms versus the information gathered in the classroom learning. In addition, the paper will look at the messages portrayed about the drug use and the effectiveness and the accuracy of these messages. Thirdly, the compare and contrast of the how media depicts the use of substance and portrayal shown in the AAP. Some summaries and conclusions will be made concerning the media and its representation to substance use, the messages it carries and the respective persons that the news is supposed to reach. Lastly, the article will review the possible guidelines as presented in the AAP and the policy statement and its effectiveness when implemented.
Legal and illegal substances according to the AAP .
Legitimate drugs are the substances that are allowed by law to be sold over the counter by specialists. They are mostly for curative purposes, and they are intended to benefit the health of the user positively. The pharmacists are responsible for effective prescriptions of drugs. Examples of these drugs include sedatives, painkillers, benzodiazepines, and steroids. However, if these drugs are prescribed wrongly or taken an overdose of substance they might result in misuse (Levinthal, 2014). Therefore, it is recommended that the individuals are taking these medications to follow the instructions from the doctor to avoid intentional abuse (Levinthal, 2014). Other legitimate drugs include the natural herbs, which are sold in various markets by natural herbalists. These drugs are not regulated and evaluated for its suitability for human consumption. Some of these natural herbs have caused unknown side effects to the users.
Drugs at the same time can be illegal. For instance, if the drugs prescribe by the doctor are used for the other purposes, and then definitely it can be termed an illicit. Some people purchase these drugs from unqualified specialists who end up offering fake drugs or drugs with a different use (Levinthal, 2014). Another category of illegal drugs is the ones, which stolen by clinicians from various government clinics and institutions. Most of the misused drugs in the chemists include the fentanyl substance; the clinicians in most medical practices commonly mishandle this. The morphine drug is the most well used sedative. Other illicit drugs include cocaine, marijuana, and heroin.
For the fulfillment of the comparison and the contrast of how media depicts the substance use and the comparison with what the textbooks say in class, one must incorporate the recent movie called “ The Place beyond the Pines.” This is the best film, which is full of the scenes where people are smoking, drinking liquor, and other hazardous substances. In this film, Ryan Gosling is perceived as a tobacco smoker. The other views are showing him smoking marijuana drugs and the other he is drinking a lot of alcohol in many scenes. The messages that are being displayed in this movie by the consumption of alcohol and tobacco substances makes the film exciting and so that it can appear favorable. In the film, Ryan is portrayed as an invariably terrible person who is in motion; the motorcycle stuntman is also seen moving from town to town so as for the sake of providing for his newly found family (Cianfrance, 2013). The messages portrayed by these scenes are somehow contradicting. The inaccurate message is displayed in the use of alcohol and tobacco in the party so that the smokers can be seen as harsh people in the community. The movie also demonstrates the relationship between alcohol, violence and aggression. In comparison with what the AAP stipulates, it matches with the scenes displayed in the movie that excessive use of illegal substances causes violence and aggression. In addition, the AAP shows clearly that the media has been contributing greatly to the actions of drug misuse among teenagers; this is exactly what is portrayed in the film. The message portrayed in this case is the same; the fact that young children misuse drugs is displayed in both cases.
Much research has shown that the constant use of alcohol and other illicit substances leads to violence and assault. Not only the use of illegal drugs can cause an attack, but also victimization may result in the consumption of drugs excessively.
According to Levinthal (2014) stipulates that, among the youngsters who are reported drinking and smoking between the age of ten and 20, they averagely began drug abuse at the age of 14 (Cianfrance, 2013). The research also indicates that in the year 2011, the survey that was conducted in Michigan University realized approximate of 30 percent of the students in grade 8 confessed that they have consumed alcohol. From the scene, it is seen that there is a party hosted by Avery Cross by his only son AJ (Cianfrance, 2013). The attendees of the party were the high school students. The scenes show that these young kids smoking marijuana, smoking cigar and drinking a lot of alcohol in plenty. They took all types of drugs so that they can get high in the mood of the rave (Cianfrance, 2013)
Research says that around 40 percent of the reported crimes are. As a result, alcohol misuse (Cianfrance, 2013). The last message seen in the film is how patriarch involvement more especially in the boy child. In the movie, we see the absence of Ryan and Bradley Cooper contributed to the awkward behaviors of the boys in the party. As a responsible parent, they must be accountable for taking care and monitoring what their children are doing with or without their presence (Cianfrance, 2013). Authoritative have an advantage in terms of controlling the acts of their siblings. Further study shows that the monitoring of the children by the opposite-sex parent is likely to reduce the rate at which children get involved in drug abuse.
The next contrast is the portrayal of drug use in the media versus the depictions shown in the AAP. As per the AAP, advertising of the substances is normally done in an open way, which enables and pressurizes the youths to experiment the same (Levinthal, 2014). From the concept of this statement as recorded in the AAP article, it goes hand in hand, with how alcohol is being depicted in the film “ The Place beyond the Pines.” The intake of the liquor by young kids will make the other children in the society to imitate the same habit as they view the movie. Also in this film, Luke is depicted as a troublesome person due to the consumption of alcohol. When compared to the academy article, alcohol is seen as the number one drug advertised in the (Cianfrance, 2013). American Televisions. The behavior of violent acts in the movies resembles the idea presented by the article that the Hollywood movies tend using alcohol and tobacco in the presentation of their characters (Cianfrance, 2013). Regarding evaluating contradictions, the film does not disprove any opinions provided in the AAP. All the conclusions presented in the academy article are depicted in the movie scenes. The advertisement of alcohol and tobacco results in a more positive influence among the young adolescents as compared to the negativity that these drugs are composed of (Cianfrance, 2013).
Throughout the research on how media portrays the substance use as well as the message, it indicates to various groups of people. Bonnie (n.d) stipulates that according to the gathered data, children ranging from the age of 11 to 13 watch televisions about 25 hours and those aged between 14 to 18 years watch at least 20 hours each week. Hence, they watch many adverts with alcohol drinking content and how these substances are portrayed positively. Most of the episodes that these youngsters watch depict alcohol and other drugs favorably by 50 percent as compared to its negative rallying of just 10%. According to the child behavior research, children grow as they imitate, what they see others doing (Strang et al., 2012). Direct teaching and modeling is another technique through which children learn. Advertising tobacco and other illicit drugs will encourage the children to try to experiment what they see, and the moment they start using the drugs, addiction will affect hence challenging to cease.
The media should regulate the time through which these adverts are televised so that the content reaches only the adults. Some of the examples of the media platforms through which this content is published include the newspapers, magazines, brochures, televisions and movies. Take for example youthful school-age purchase illicit drugs. This child will probably perform inadequately in conservatory; empower other kids both in his group and in school to get on sustenance and furthermore enjoyed inadmissible practices that negate the standards of humanity. The positive depiction of intake liquor, smoking and utilizing different medications in motion picture acts as a general positive ordeal drove a promising young fellow to harm his capable future and turns into a weight to people rather than turning into a contributing individual from the organization. It is entirely unexpected that many liquor notices interface drinking with esteemed individual properties, for example, amiability, class, and physical allure and with attractive results, for example, achievement, unwinding, sentiment, and enterprise (Bonnie, n.d.).
As per the messages portrayed in these movies. It comprises of a mixture of incorrect and correct words based on their contexts. According to the AAP, the cigarette smokers are portrayed as independent, fledgling and disobedient. In the movie “ The Place beyond the Pines ,” Ryan matches all the description of a cigar smoker as described in the AAP. He portrays a harmful habit in which the young teenagers are imitate. Through watching, what Luke does in the discussed movie the other young people might take it literary to be occupied to smoke tobacco and drink alcohol as much as they can (Strang et al., 2012). However, as per the message portrayed in the movie, Luke is seen as a father who fails to protect his son from abusing the illicit substances. This shows parents that they must monitor the acts of the children to shape their character. It shows that parents can ruin the life of the children if they allow the use of drugs to dictate their lives (Strang et al., 2012). Another encouraging message sent to the fathers is that, fathers should provide the necessary care to their children and monitor their behavior progressively. The way Luke misuses these drugs shows that he is a young, rebellious, knotty and violent young boy; meaning, the use of these substances is not acceptable in the society. However, the movie lacks the concept of discussing the side effects of using these illicit substances. In the movies, the characters are seen as drug users who are enjoying life to the fullest. They are contented with what they are doing in the party, what this means is that the movie is advocating for the positivity of the substance use. There is no even a single scene that shows a sober individual correcting and condemning this behavior. The advertising of the drugs in the mainstream media platforms has been very influential among the youths. The media is mandated to educate the consumers of these products the effects it has on young people (Strang et al., 2012). The habits of smoking and drinking in the movies aims the innocent young viewers; the abuse of these substances has a result of violent activities, sexual harassment cases and careless driving on public roads. The portrayal of adverse effects of smoking and drinking is rare in the media (Bonnie, n.d.).
All the proposed strategies are essential, but the research section below will concentrate on the most effective ones, which are recommendable for the media depiction of tobacco and alcohol use among the teenagers. Some of the guidelines are shown below:
The parents should be encouraged to discuss the content to be viewed with their children. The parents are responsible for evaluating the material in the media and advice their children efficiently on what they must watch and what to escape. However not all parenting techniques will favor this design but is very important for the parents to advice the children the cons of watching explicit content. By doing this, the chances of children abusing drugs will be reduced; the children will not engage in weird habits. If parents fail to do this, the teenager still has a big room for experimenting the bad habits portrayed in the media platforms.
Secondly, the learning institutions should be stimulated to incorporate the media teaching in their systems. The AAP suggests that the school curriculum systems should be evaluated and renewed so that they include some teachings about the effects of drug abuse and alcohol consumption on the health of young children. The curriculum should consist of the drug prevention mechanisms so that children should be aware of what consequences they are likely to face if they fail to comply with the teachings (Strang et al., 2012). Additionally, critics are saying that if the talking to school-age children about the concept of drug abuse will encourage them to experiment the same, but in the real sense, it will make them aware of the consequences associated with the use of illicit drugs. It is better to talk to them about the issue rather than allowing them to realize later through the media, which is deceiving by encouraging the use of drugs (Strang et al., 2012).
The federal laws through the Congress should illegalize the advertisement of alcohol and tobacco in all media that is accessible by children. According to the AAP, it is realized that those teenagers who is exposed to a lot of viewing the contents of smoking and drinking scenes are more susceptible to the drinking and smoking behaviors. Therefore, the ban on advertising of these drugs will be beneficial to the society as a whole.
Pediatricians ought to ensure people are aware of the side effects of drug abuse. They should give a training on the use of drugs. Young people should be screened for substance and some referral to treatment services. The pediatricians should conduct training programs for the public on the effects of the drug substance use within young adults. The teenagers should be screened to ascertain if they were substance free, this would enable their parents to monitor their habits effectively (Strang et al., 2012). The adolescents will benefit from the doctors’ advice on the effects of drug abuse. The doctors are responsible for ensuring that the teenagers are trained the impact of misuse of substance.
As stated earlier, the guidelines presented are the most effective according to the AAP. These are the most effective guidelines that can help in the utilization of media positively and not encourage the youths to abuse substances. By the requirements of this research essay, the stated recommendations are the most effective in addressing of the concerns pointed in the paper.
In conclusion, the media is depicted as the leading platform through which young generation is losing control of habit. The media has been over time advertising the drugs and other illegal substances in a positive way. The problem with the press is that they do not regulate the content they are publishing. For instance, in the mainstream television, they spend a lot of time advertising the importance of tobacco and alcohol. They do not sideline the effects of the consumption of these substances, especially for young children. That is the reason many teenagers who are subjected to a lot of video viewing are more susceptible to drug abuse. The entertainment media is another source of content that the young people like a lot. The characters used in the movies are portrayed as smokers and alcohol addicts the children imitate these characters as they grow. Finally, they end up experimenting what they see in movies. The AAP has provided the guidelines through which parents can implement in their families to ensure they monitor the habits of their siblings. This will help them prevent the use of illicit substances. The federal authorities also should ban the advertising of tobacco in the nation; this will regulate the explicit content that children view in the media.
References
Alcohol, Violence, and Aggression – Alcohol Alert No. 38-1997. (n.d.). Retrieve from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa38.htm .
Bonnie, R. J. (n.d.). Children, Adolescent, Substance Abuse, and The Media. The Council on Communications and Media Pediatrics 2010 ; 126:791: DOI:
10.1542/peds.2010.1635
Cianfrance, D. (Director). (2013). The Place beyond the Pines [Motion Picture]. United States: AMC Theaters.
Levinthal, C. (2014). Drugs, behavior, and modern society (8th Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. A study shows parenting styles affect alcohol abuse. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://baylorlariat.com/2011/03/29/study-shows-parenting-styles-affect-alcohol-abuse/
Strang, J., Babor, T., Caulkins, J., Fischer, B., Foxcroft, D., & Humphreys, K. (2012). Drug policy And the public good: evidence for effective interventions. The Lancet , 379 (9810), 71-83.
