Hypersexualized and Violent Media

Hypersexualized and violent media is bad for today’s youth because it leads them to become morally reprehensible by corrupting their minds, it gives them a false sense of hope for an illusionary world free of consequences of sex and violence, and it robs them of their innocence by planting inappropriate ideas.

Hypersexualized and violent media leads youth to become morally reprehensible by corrupting their minds. Today's generation is now desensitized to what is abnormal or certain situations that previous generations would view as immoral, such as gun violence, gay relationships, prostitution, and profanity. Author, journalist, and former comic writer Gerard Jones claims “these fantasies teach our kids to trust their own emotions, build stronger selves, and withstand the pressures of pop culture.” I say they shouldn’t even see such things until they are out of adolescence, ages 12 through 17.

There is a 6 year old boy that I know who thinks that there is nothing wrong with saying things like “gangsta niggas” or even cursing and being aggressive because that’s what he sees on violent video games. His older brother, who is 18, allows him to play his "rated M for mature" video games. He says his favorite game to play is grand theft auto, in this game the players are able to hijack cars, have shoot outs with police, beat up pedestrians and deal with prostitutes, all of which are things that 6 year olds should not be exposed to because it leads to mischievous behavior.

Dr. Walsh and many prominent medical groups believe children will view the world as violent and mean, becoming more fearful of being a victim of violence. They also believe children will desire to see more violence in entertainment and real life, and children will view violence as an acceptable way to settle conflicts.

Hypersexualized and violent media gives youth a false sense of hope for an illusionary world free of consequences of sex and violence. Such media doesn't show the negative side effects of sex and violence. Jones also says "trashy or violent entertainment plays an essential role in the healthy development of children." Yes, it does play a role in the development of children but it doesn’t teach them the severity of the consequences of these actions. Hypersexualized media does not show that unprotected sex can lead to HIV, ultimately ending in death, or even pregnancy. When rappers rap about sex they don't talk about the negative consequences, they just talk about the pleasurable side of sex, nor do video games show that you can go to jail for the violent acts they want you to do. Children often confuse these games with reality and will think that after all of the violent acts are said and done you simply press restart and it all be erased.

The US National Library of Medical and the National Institutes of Health did a survey and concluded that ‘“More than 80% of adolescence reports that their peers find out some or a lot about