Is today's society damaging to children?

As a 90's kid, I grew up in a fairly secluded environment, as children in previous generations did. The reasons for this are simple. In the 90's there wasn't half of the communication media we have today. People were only just getting to grips with the internet let alone the likes of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter! Today, information is circulated dangerously quickly! Only last week we witnessed a video of the UK band- One Direction smoking illegal substances. However, is the transition to a 'digital' society proving rather unhealthy for children growing up this decade and the ones to come?

The idea of our society becoming much more liberal is emphasised all the time in many different ways. For example chart music of this decade, the most popular music listened to by young people, contains many precarious lyrics which are possibly unsuitable for young people. The release of Rhianna's S&M (2011) for example, sparked much debate over its sexualised lyrics, along with a ban on the video for containing too much sexual content. Furthermore, artists such as Eminem, Drake and Nicki Minaj often use lyrics which contain offence language. Is the exposure of such material not terrible for children? It surely portrays unsafe messages?  This type of music was not witnessed in the industry in the 90's, and if it did exist it was not particularly popular. Bands such as Take That, Wet Wet Wet, and the Spice Girls ruled the charts! Slightly later bands such as Atomic Kitten, S-Club 7 and Westlife captivated my childhood, all of whom stressed harmless messages such as 'Reach for Stars'. The music I listened to back then is beyond compare to what I listen to now as a young adult!

Is the social media revalation of the 21st century also damaging to children of today? The
significant increase in use of sites such as Facebook and Twitter has dramatically changed the rate at which information is spread. Children of today are accessing all sorts of things which they never have before. The increase of social media sites and sites such as Youtube expose material which parents try to protect them from! Social media sites such as Facebook also encourages low self esteem amongst young people. There is a constant state of competition by watching other peoples, it naturally leads you to compare your life to theirs. The obsession with appearances, from small things such as how many likes one may receive on their new profile picture may determine a child's confidence on how they look and may make them feel very self conscious. This, combined with today's consumerist society, focused on what you own, can lead children to feel embarrassed about their way of life and doubt about who they are.

Moreover, because of such quick communicative methods, children can witness the demise of their favourite idols which may possibly lead them to believe that their behaviour is acceptable. For example, the transition of Miley Cyrus from innocent American sweetheart to a devious and defiant young adult. Not only are children able to witness the classic 'bad' habits such as drinking, smoking and taking drugs; they see people such as Miley becoming very popular through it, even though perhaps infamously. Yes, I am not suggesting this is a new trend, this happened in the past. I mean the transition of the Beatles from a young and upcoming British band to new international superstars led them astray along the way, entering into a world of many drugs. Moreover, in recent times such cases as Lindsay Lohan demonstrates the stress of fame, however is publishing these images good for children?


Is our society suited to children?
Our emerging society, one of communication, is incredible in a sense that we are able to communicate with people all over the world! Social media allows us to learn of events breaking out across the world within seconds, along with the latest gossip which may not be an entirely good thing. As a young adult, I do not condone the world of social media as it proves very useful in my life. However, I do witness the excessive gossip through sites such as Facebook. Unlike my childhood in the 90's and early 2000's, children of today are exposed to much more corruption, wether it be through google images of celebrities taking drugs or youtube videos of Miley Cyrus 'twerking' on Robin Thicke, or music videos such as the one recently posted by Route 94- My Love (2014) of young people being promiscuous. It seems the more liberal society of today does not do enough to protect the innocence of children as children have been in previous generations.