how are teens portrayed in media? by Suhani Datta

euphoria

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-21 19:18:38 UTC

one of the most popular tv shows since 2019 (season two had 16.3 million viewers)
considerably modern tv show
shows intensely explicit scenes, drug use, and other triggering aspects
stars teens sporting "modern glam." but when you take that glam away, the show is nothing but a montage of rebellious teens with their own struggles

"is [euphoria] glamorizing? maybe. because in some ways it makes [drugs] look very appealing. but the whole purpose is to engage an audience … it's tv, so it’s make-believe,” which is why kids who party and engage in risky behaviors still “manage to get good grades … [and look] to-the-nines, and not puffy-faced. that is part of the glamorization, but it’s also the make-believe aspect of entertainment as a whole." -dr. danielle rousse

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-21 19:19:43 UTC

euphoria can represent many negative aspects of modern high school- substance abuse, toxic relationships, mental health issues... but the nature of the show depicts most teens as kids playing adults, starting unhealthy habits to seem grown up, and do not show the true nature of teenagers as a whole.

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-21 19:22:23 UTC

the real cost commercial: "your skin"

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 18:45:05 UTC

intended to raise awareness on substance abuse and discourage young adults
says substance mentioned, menthol, can ruin your skin.
specifically shows a teenager because that's how teenagers are portrayed in modern media, tortured individuals who participate in substance abuse to escape reality.

allstate mayham commercial: dean winters as a teenage girl

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 18:45:34 UTC

dean winters in a car pretending to be an absentminded teenage girl who crashes car (nod to insurance)
although humor was intended and some may find this funny, when you take away the need to make people laugh this is nothing but a dehumanizing advertisement
makes teens, specifically girls, look like materialistic, obnoxious, wannabe adults.

more than medication commercial

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 18:49:15 UTC

plays on common stereotypes- begins with teenager spraying grafitti, then mc goes to his house to be with sick sibling (?) and it's shown that what he painted was a message to his sister
shows that most people come with the cognitive belief that kids are good for nothing, then proves audience wrong

shows/movies made specifically for teens set up unrealistic expectations of what they should strive to become. they are unrealistic and try to mask extremely heavy topics through quirky dialogues. although they are able to portray teens as humans and shed light on some of the problems they're going through, these shows are anything but realistic. they also deal with heavy subjects in a concerning, immature way (see description).

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 18:56:16 UTC

adding on: diamondback news featured an article about ginny & georgia's poor portrayal of adolescents. "what concerns me about the show the most, though, was how most of the young characters are presented acting and dressing younger than a normal person their character's age would. yet, despite that, they're shown [...], binge-drinking and discussing important topics like racism [...] in a really questionable and immature way."

the 'to all the boys i've loved before' trilogy shows a couple trying to stay together after one gets into stanford and the other doesn't, but they never even reference academic achievements that could've gotten either one in.

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 18:59:25 UTC

ginny & georgia does a good job representing how a teenager is trying to find their place in the world, but like other shows they try to show mental health issues through quirky dialogue and this does an abysmal job reducing stigma, though the creators tried.

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 19:01:07 UTC

advertisements normally do one of two things when trying to feature teenagers: they either show them as careless, absentminded individuals (typically with teenage girls) or tormented individuals with trauma they try to escape through drugs, alcohol, and other heavy alternatives.

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 19:02:29 UTC

in the news, teenagers are shown as either overhyped musical artists or federal CRIMINALS.

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 19:11:44 UTC

"teenagers are constantly painted as a either thirsty, crime-seeking individual or as an overachieving pop artist (sabrina carpenter, olivia rodrigo)." panther news.

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 19:15:24 UTC

"if you search teenagers up on the news right now, you'll see stories regarding one of the newest gang killings, [...] teenagers running away from home, etc. [...] while these accidents and many more did occur, and they're definitely something that should receive attention, our media never posts anything adequate about teenagers. after all, nobody wants to hear a long article about a teenager doing their homework [and other things that most teenagers do]."

building off of this, it's no wonder teenagers typically get their news exclusively from social media. the real news stations only show the gory aspects or the pop aspects of teenagers. can you image trying to find news on elections or the climate and stumbling across yet another misrepresentation of your people?

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 19:17:24 UTC

what do you think is the best form of media when it comes to representing and portraying adolescents?

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 19:20:27 UTC

what are the consequences of these portrayals- are teenagers treated worse, do they feel the need to 'live up' to some standards, does it worsen their behavior...?

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 19:21:50 UTC

counterclaim: teens are portrayed more realistic in the media than meets the eye. nowadays more and more light is being shed on mental health issues and topics that used to seem taboo, so teens ARE portrayed well. they can feel welcomed when it comes to speaking up about mental health because the media normalizes these topics.

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 21:40:42 UTC

rebuttal: while it's wonderful that more and more previously taboo topics are being normalized in modern media, tv shows and movies often discuss this with immaturity and try to glamorize these issues. (see also: euphoria)

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 21:43:00 UTC

as mentioned previously, advertisements either overdo or underdo the mental health aspect of adolescents: in some ads teenagers are represented as heavily traumatized individuals, and in others they're self-centered and just... mean.

counterclaim: today's media is much more inclusive than it used to be when it comes to teenagers. we see people of color, people on the spectrum, people a part of LGBTQ+, and people dealing with trauma much more than the media used to show us.

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 21:46:32 UTC

rebuttal: yes, media has been destigmatizing topics like queerness, mental health, substance abuse, harassment, and more. but are they approaching these topics delicately and maturely? no. most ads poke fun at developing young adults, and most shows (especially on netflix) deal with these topics immaturely and try to glamourize things like drug usage.

suhanidatta38_2 — 2024-02-22 21:52:47 UTC