Working with teenagers, I hear and see all sorts of media. I-pods are filled with “Boom Boom Pow,” by Black Eyed Peas to “I Love College,” by some guy who didn’t even finish college. Movies like “Fast & Furious” and “I Love You, Man” are packed with teens and young adults. This is clearly a deep part of youth culture. But is this a good thing? We have heard for years that media affects behavior in some teens. Violent video games and movies have been the common thread among school shooting and other delinquent behavior. But these are just the extremes, right? Well, overall, I think it’s safe to say that media doesn’t cause everyone to react in extreme violent behaviors. However, I do believe that the media we watch and listen to affects all of us, including teenagers. Here’s why:

  • Emotional Memory:
    • Your brain has an emotional memory, which is stored in the amygdala area. This means your brain doesn’t only recall a visual picture or event in your life. Instead, you remember how you felt at that time of the event. For instance, you don’t just remember going on your first date, you remember how you felt on your first date. We remember a big event such a graduation, but we also remember how we felt at graduation. This is emotional memory. 
  • Triggers:
    • Here is the kicker, you don’t need to personally experience something  to trigger an emotional memory. An emotional trigger can take place just by watching another person or by watching TV. Consider this, have you ever been in an armed robbery? Have you ever had someone bust into your house and hold you at gun point? Have you ever been viciously attacked? Chances are that you haven’t and the majority of Americans have not personally experienced these, but you wouldn’t know it based on the majority of TV shows and movies. They make it seem like the norm. The goal of television producers is to trigger a little bit of pleasure filled adrenaline into our bloodstream. So very few of us are actually threatened in a way that is really life-threatening. However, our bodies are called into action as if we are! Next time you are watching a violently intense movie or show, put your finger up to your neck and feel your pulse. Chances are your body is reacting to the images you see in a fight or flight manner with an increased heart rate, though you are under no danger. A teen or adult doesn’t need to have been molested, raped, shot, stabbed, or abused to feel as if he or she has been. 

Overall, we, especially teens, have perception problems. What we perceive is reality and determines how we view the world. But what if our perception is wrong? We watch and listen to things that make us conclude, “This is the way life works.” We watch violent images, drug use, killings, and promiscuous sexual relationships on television and then continue to reinforce the images with the music we listen to. Lyrics about having sex with one girl one night and finding another the next night, getting so drunk you can’t move and mistreating your “hoe”. TEENS BEGIN TO PERCEIVE THIS AS REALITY!! Thus, they set themselves up for real-life experiences to reinforce the emotional memories they have stored. These behaviors almost always have expressions of rebellion, isolation, and intense negative emotions, such as anger, depression, frustration, and despair.

  • So what can you do?
    • 1. Set the example. Your children will follow your lead. What you allow yourself to watch or listen to will directly relate to what they choose to watch or listen to. 
    • 2. Replace TV time with intentional connection. Take time to talk to your kids. Go out for ice cream, instead of watching your favorite sitcom. Join a service connection group as a family. Use these times to spark up a conversation about God or their personal life. If your not speaking into your child’s life someone or something else is. Remember, You have to disconnect to reconnect.
    • 3. Take the Challenge. I challenge you for one week to reduce the amount of TV and secular music you allow into your life. Encourage your teen(s) to take the challenge with you. Replace these times with some examples from above and worship music. I guarantee you will feel a little less stressed and see an improvement in your relationship between you and your teenager.

Praying God’s Best For You,

Will Hutcherson – NLC Student Pastor