Sexting, Drugs, and Risky Behavior -- Teen TV Is Back
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Sexy nighttime soaps are a
staple of guilty-pleasure TV. But the current fall lineup -- which
includes
Gossip
Girl, 90210,
Melrose Place, The Vampire
Diaries, and
The Beautiful
Life -- seems a little edgier than ever before. With their
portrayals of
over-the-top
behavior, these shows provide guilty pleasure entertainment for
older-but-wiser parents. But they're intended to attract a
large teen audience, whose relationship to some of the issues the
shows deal with hits a lot closer to home. Topics like losing your
virginity, eating disorders, and trying pot are tame compared to
what this season is packing:
Sexting, a hit and run, murder, the
model industry's dirty (and racy) little secrets, hooking up in
college, and an undercurrent of vampire lust ... all set to a
soundtrack of the latest songs and outfitted in top-of-the-line
clothes.
So how do you manage it?
Watch first. If you can preview the show first,
that will give you an idea of what to expect -- and what you can
talk to your teen about.
Don't let younger kids watch these types of
shows. The subjects they cover -- consequence-free
underage drinking, smoking, drug use, and non-consensual sex --
aren't appropriate for kids middle school age and younger.
Watch with your older kids. Use these shows as an
opportunity to insert your own values
about some of the topics they cover. Sensitive subjects like sex,
drugs, and alcohol are often easier to discuss in the context of
fictional characters.
Enjoy. Treat the shows as the shallow
entertainment they are -- and feel free to laugh along with your
teen at the ridiculous shenanigans on the screen.
Have a reality check. Remind your teen that no one
actually lives like the characters on these shows and that the
storylines are designed for maximum entertainment value to increase
viewership.
Do you let your young teens watch these shows? What issues come up
when you're watching, and how do you deal with them?
