An examination of the influence of the media on adults and children regarding health-related issues.
This paper explores how the media’s influence on both adults and children has been well-documented and how, from prescription drugs to tobacco and its bad effects to alcohol influence on children, the media and advertising influences both how consumers purchase and learn about health issues and their beliefs about certain health issues. It shows that, while physicians and consumers may disagree on whether or not that advertising plays a useful role in today’s society, there can be no doubt of its permanence in the world today.
“This media influence on children has a large impact, especially in the case of alcohol. According to a study by Grube (1995), children exposed to alcohol advertising were more likely to hold favorable views of drinking, and expressed intentions to drink more as adults. In the same study, it was found that exposure to and liking of alcohol advertisements affected whether young people would drink alcohol (Grube, 119). Considering the fact that, on average, children today spend five hours a day using various media, the results are overwhelming (Kaiser Family Foundation, 8). In addition, of those five hours, only 20 percent are supervised by an adult (Kaiser Family Foundation, 20).”