Effect of Media on Children

This week in class we have been learning about the effects of advertising and media on children. I could not agree more with the lesson in that kids are being shaped so much by the world around them, and advertisers are really forcing certain stereotypes and values on kids that should not be forced on them at that age. I remember back when I was a young kid, how much I was impacted by fads and listening to what the media portrayed as the "cool" thing to do or wear. Without the media and technology being so advanced, I really think things would be a lot different. When it comes to gender and the way kids are influenced by media, I really think the media and advertisers have way too much influence on the way kids perceive themselves and how they should grow up to be. This relates to sociology and our lesson because as a whole, kids are being influenced in a very broad way. It's not just a few kids who are being exposed to this kind of advertisement and control, it's almost all the kids in our society today. It becomes a sociological issue because of the massive number of kids being effected by media and advertisements.