By GalTime Teen Parenting Expert, Barbara Greenberg, PhD.
Celebrities may not be as powerful in the lives of teens as their publicists may think. Likewise, they may not be as powerful as the parents of teens have been led to believe. In fact, studies show that although teens' behavior may be influenced by their celebs of choice -think Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus, among others--they are with all due respect not the only important role models in the lives of our impressionable teens.
Related: Getting Your Kids to Open Up and Talk
A survey presented at the 2011 Canadian Pediatric Society's Annual Conference found that among 1,200 teens between the ages of 14-17, the majority named their parents as their primary role models in the area of-get this-SEXUALITY. Next on the list were their peers. Celebrities held sway with only 15% of the teens. They came in third and last.
And how about this? A 2002 study published in the journal Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that among 749 LA teens between the ages of 12 and 17, the majority again listed their parents as their most popular role models. The list was as follows: parents were first followed by, in this order, sports figures, siblings, and finally singers.
Perhaps the takeaway message here is that the real rock stars in teens' lives are their parents. Let's hear some collective applause for the prevailing power of parents!
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