I always enjoy the months of January and February because the holiday break is over and I get to see new episodes of all the shows (or at least most of them) I love watching. So, since we are entering into the 3rd week of January, I’m slightly peeved that I have not gotten a new episode of Gossip Girl yet. Yes, you read that right, Gossip Girl. I have been an avid watcher since it started. It began as pure curiosity. Since I had read the entire series, I was curious as to how they'd do it. My initial reaction: OMG, they are totally ruining these books! Needless to say, it took me a while to get used to the creative license the TV show took with the characters and storylines, but once I “forgot” about the actual book series, I really started to enjoy the show. Sure, it was totally a guilty pleasure type of show and although Wes used to tease me about watching it, he still sat there, eyes glued, and knew the storylines I referred to in conversation with my fellow GG watchers (his favorite is Chuck, BTW…he really gets a kick out of Chuck’s bravado).
But what I realized was that I was enjoying this show…and I am in my early 30s. These characters are teenagers and the show itself is geared toward teens, for the most part. But it is so easy to forget the ages of these characters as they dress with the intention of seducing or deal with the frustrations of their day with a dirty martini or cosmopolitan. Which brings me to this week’s question: Is television bringing teens into adulthood too quickly, or are adults (parents) looking too much into the shows teens watch? I use GG as the example, well, because it’s just so blatant and perfect as an example, but if you really look at TV right now, especially at what is geared more for teens, you’ll see that the subject matter and “everyday life” of these characters is not what I (or anyone?) would consider the norm.
Let’s take MTV’s Jersey Shore for example. This show is the hottest of hot messes—and one incidentally, that I cannot get enough of (ha!). But, ironically, when I first watched JS, I was APPALLED. My jaw was dropped throughout the entire episode and I was just embarrassed. I now live in Missouri, but my nickname here is “Jersey.” I spent my prom weekend IN Seaside Heights. And I’m Italian. I did not appreciate all the questions and negative comments about the state I was raised in (no, the Jersey Shore, the place, is not all like the show!). BUT after hearing about how everyone was so against the show, how people wanted it banned, etc, etc, etc, I felt compelled to give it a second chance. And that’s when I got hooked. I enjoyed the hilarity of their stereotypical antics, laughed at their fist-pumping dances, and enjoyed the show for the train wreck that it really is. Once I stopped taking it so seriously, I enjoyed it. Perhaps teens view shows like these the same way?
Keep in mind that I would have never given the show a second thought if it weren’t for all those adults who WERE taking the show seriously and voicing their opinion over and over and over again. It got me thinking: Aren’t parents always told in the baby books that if your toddler swears you should ignore it? If you give attention to negative or unwanted language the kids will enjoy the rise it gets and do it over and over again. I know it’s so hard not to laugh when your two year old blurts out “Oh Sh&t” when you least expect it, but we try our hardest to ignore it, because in this instance, if you ignore it, it will go away. Why then don’t we follow these same rules for unwanted television? I think MTV would love to shake the hands of all these people flinging around the negative publicity for their show. After all, it has raised the ratings so high that Jersey Shore Season 2 (with the same cast) has been very heavily rumored. Even Gossip Girl, in its 1st season was on the verge of cancellation due to poor ratings, but then all of a sudden, the “adults” started talking about how racy it was, and the CW (at that time the WB) used that negative attention to actually create ads for their show, and viola, instant ratings and we’re halfway through the 3rd season.
I know that this topic, like so many others, is gray. There are a number of opinions on whether or not TV today is suitable for teens/tweens/kids. But, I believe that it’s important to hear what everyone has to say, and that means not just other parents or adults, but the kids, too, before deciding. One opinion does not work for everyone, so it’s important to be open-minded to all thoughts before casting judgment. If you do judge too soon, you might find it has the opposite effect on the situation. Just some food for thought.
So what do you think? IS television bringing teens into adulthood too quickly, or are adults (parents) looking too much into the shows teens watch?
Semi-stepmom to a 10-year-old reluctant reader, Stephanie Karmol has a degree in English and Child Psychology as well as eight years’ experience in book publishing with a focus on children's books.
