Do celebrities' trips to rehab, 'crazy' behaviour and partying have a negative influence on kids and teens?

Question

A recent magazine poll reveals that bad celebrity behaviour might be turning teens, specifically girls, off drugs and alcohol. But do kids need to be protected from media images of the stars that many consider to be their role models?
http://ca.entertainment.yahoo.com/s/19022007/2/entertain-teens-say-hollywood-party-girls-turning-drugs-alcohol.html

Answer 1

Yes they do. They make believe 8 to 14 year old girls (especially) that life is nothing but a party, from which school, family, rules and effort are absent.
Even parents who try to educate their children in a good way have to fight against the influence of other school mates whose parents are not so careful. To that extent, something has to be done from the civil society to prevent every children from that "rape of personality".
I personnaly know a couple of smart and clever teenagers who are missing their lives ...

Answer 2

The negative things that celebrities do, do have an negative influence on kids and teens. This is because kids and teens learn by what they see on television, magazines, newspaper, internet, and many other media device, and by doing so they copy that behaviour(s), and do them, either because they think it's cool, or they think that everyone is doing it anyways. The children and teens need to be educated at a very young age, about drugs and alcohol, and what it does do to the human body. If they don't get educated properly about it, there will be serious consequences later on. The ones that need to be protected from the role models are the ones that are not educated enough about drugs and alcohol.

Answer 3

I can't imagine a worse influence. What do we see of these celebs and their crazy behaviour as they breeze in and out of rehab? They still have their nice clothes, their fancy cars, and access to wherever they want to go. Our children aren't shown the devastation that really goes on with addiction (with the exception of a few unflattering pictures). The repercussions could be detrimental. Just look around to see how many young girls emulate how these celebrities dress. They have not yet been given a clear reason why they shouldn't continue in their footsteps. Recovery looks pretty easy, if not completely glamorous. There is no way to protect kids from these media images. It is time for some celebrity to start speaking honestly about the agony of addiction instead of using rehab as a PR move. If the celebrities started using their star power to do a little wold improvement, they may even find a reason to respect themselves.

Answer 4

I believe that celebrities really do have an influence over kids and teens. I know that when I was a teenager in the 60's and early 70's, that I'd get the teen magazines and want to be like them. And all my girlfriends did too. They are the ones that dictate style and lifestyles. They are the ones that are out there for all to see, and teens gravitate toward them and want to be like them.

It's time that they cleaned up their lives, and start looking at how they are influencing young people. If they would stop being so self absorbed and look at what good they can give back to all their fans (for all that big fat paycheck they get), perhaps we would see a nice turn around in the behaviours and lifestyles the youth of today. If youth could see celebrities dressing decently, acting decently, speaking decently, and being good role models in reaching out to others instead of being self absorbed, just imagine what this world, especially the western world, would be like.

Answer 5

What do we see of these celebs and their crazy behaviour as they breeze in and out of rehab? They still have their nice clothes, their fancy cars, and access to wherever they want to go. Our children aren't shown the devastation that really goes on with addiction (with the exception of a few unflattering pictures). The repercussions could be detrimental. Just look around to see how many young girls emulate how these celebrities dress. They have not yet been given a clear reason why they shouldn't continue in their footsteps. Recovery looks pretty easy, if not completely glamorous. There is no way to protect kids from these media images. It is time for some celebrity to start speaking honestly about the agony of addiction instead of using rehab as a PR move. If the celebrities started using their star power to do a little wold improvement, they may even find a reason to respect themselves.

Answer 6

No, I think that kids' role models should demonstrate the good and the bad. Confronting issues of being a celebrity(stress, the press, and constant privacy-loss) publicly. It is having an effect on the teen girls. It's showing them that drugs, alcohol and partying aren't always fun and that they have serious consequences. Even for their role model celebrities. Sure, they might be disillusioned seeing their role model all tweaked from coke, sprawled out on a park bench with body guards fighting off the media, but it'll make them think twice about using drugs. Celebrities are regular people too, we've just put them on pedestals. Kids are being influenced negatively, yes, but it's having the reverse affect. It doesn't look cool to do drugs or drink alcohol.

Answer 7

Kids should not be sheltered from these images, because by not seeing the mistakes celebrities are making, they can't see the downside of a "glamorous" partying lifestyle. If all they see are pleasant images, accompanied with the negative stories coming from the gossip columns, they will think that being in rehab isn't a big deal, because Britney still looks great. The media should be used as a method of teaching kids what NOT to do. The sexualization of our culture, however, is another story...

Answer 8

Even though the magazines have stated that recently girls are turning away from drugs and alchool; I still feel there is a lot of influence. Girls especially, really need good role models and celebrities are only putting 'ideas' into their heads. It's obvious that Hollywood is ALL over the news, papers etc, and people are interested in their lives; if they do it, then others may perceive their actions to be normal.

Answer 9

Although I can only imagine the pressure and stress associated with being a young celebrity today, I do feel that the recent actions of many young female celebrities is sending a dangerous message to young girls everywhere. The celebrity actions and the media coverage of these behaviours in most cases glorifies the behaviour. From a celebrity stand point nobody is perfect and how would the general public feel about having all of their dirty laundry aired and every mistake made shown to the world. It is time for a change for the sake of young women around the world.

Answer 10

In my opinion, teens are already affected by pressures of drugs, sex, and alcohol (growing pains).
Parents should advise their teens that role models such as: Pop stars, atheletes, models, actors, etc are merely "human beings" and are not perfect. With the advent of childhood pop stars becoming actual adults ie: Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan, we're seeing these former human puppets experiencing what teens experience "growing pains." But being in the spotlight at a young age carries a great amount of added pressure then your average teen. So it's normal, in my opinion, that someone like Britney Spears snapped or is having an Identity Crisis.
Therefore, parents and teens should realize that their role model is only human and should learn from their role models mistakes.
Too much attention has been given to Britney for the past five years, mostly, for the "wrong" moves she has made. It was only time that this would happen.
Similarly, with Mariah Carey who suffered a nervous breakdown in 2001. People thought she was a crazed mentally-drained person, when really she was just suffereing from extreme exhaustion.
Remember these artists work very hard (maybe too hard) to please the masses, and they too have a tolerance level that they push to the limits to keep on top of things.
It's not a pity or something to celebrate when media people have breakdowns. It's part of life, we all have our personal problems, it's just not documented in every newspapers and news outlet.
Pop star meltdowns are blown out of proportion in the media and we love to hear the "rich and famous" go down because we think of them as "being so high" or "up there."
When really we are a victim of our own criticism. Sometimes our fascination of pop stars gets out of control as well, hence, why paparazzi follow them and document their every move. They know the public (we) eat it up in the morning papers.
Leave them alone, let them breathe, and let them have their upsets. It's obvious in Hollywood it's so easy to get anything you want, and it's not their fault. Their lives are out of balance and they need to figure it out for themselves.
I think Britney's meltdown was not a suprise. The poor girl is only 25 years old, has two kids, is getting divorced and is hounded every minute. But then again, I don't envy her. She's got all the money in the world, a loving family, and a fan base that will forgive her when she comes back to the public.
But I think in any case, breakdown or not, a strong family unit and supportive people will help pop stars in their share of "pop star growing pains." This should also be stressed to young teens who look up to these pop stars.

Answer 11

Yes it is a negative influence. The repeated trips without significant consequences, such as being banned from working in the entertainment business for a year, simply teach that you can get away with this behaviour. This is especially true of children in the mid late teans where rebellion is normal, they now have famous role models to point to and say "well he/she can do it". There is no excuse for the behaviour and it should be that society indicates the behaviour is not to be tolerated by having policies that severely impact on these role models. If that sounds unfair I would simply point out that there are no complaints when they reap the privileges of fame, ie huge paycheques, so they should also be held accountable to responsibilities such fame engenders.