Media stereotypes are to be expected, especially in the entertainment, news and advertising industries. Stereotypes are quick easy ways that give audiences a quick, similar understanding of a person or group of people usually involving their ethnicity, social class, race, gender, sexual orientation or occupation. No one is safe from stereotypes even teenagers are suffering from it. Through movies and TV shows teens are perceived as people who only care about two things money and sex. While flipping through the channels one might notice all the programming shown is directing toward teens. Even the news has stereotyped teens by making a public perception that teenage crime is on the rise or out of control.
The entertainment world has extremely attacked the youth in many ways; the media shows that all teens like drinking, taking drugs and having sex. Today by the end of high school, the average student will have spent 15,000 hours watching TV and only 11,000 hours in the classroom. The time spent watching TV will impact some teens into following what they see on the television. The media should not have the power to say whatever they want or to stereotype, but according to the first amendment they do and that is ashame. Negative stereotypes not only affect how adults see teenagers, they influence how teenagers see themselves. The feeling that the rest of the world doesn't respect or understand you does little to encourage a positive sense of feeling important. Media should back off for once and let teens be teens. Stereotypes are lies and one day the media will learn one way or another not to do it.
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