How to Raise a Troubled Young Girl
9) Teach media literacy
According to the Harrison Group’s 2006 study on teen trends, Americans ages 13 to 18 spend more than 72 hours a week using electronic media such as cell phones, Internet, television, video games and music. Advertisements account for many of the messages our teens are being exposed to, and the goal of most is to sell a product idea or lifestyle by any means necessary. It is important to provide our youth with the skills needed to separate fact from fiction and gain an understanding about the intent behind the messages they are receiving. Some schools have a curriculum devoted to media literacy, but it is important for our young people to have an abundance of in-the-flesh resources to expose the truth about what they may see or hear.
