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Start Talking!
Know!
To Fuel Their Critical Thinking
1/28/2019
Have you ever received an unsolicited, direct-to-consumer advertisement
via email, text or social media? Of course you have! They somehow seem
to find all of us, even if we’re not looking for them. The same holds
true for our young people. Just like us, they are bombarded with
advertising – mainly on their phones and laptops; from YouTube videos
to game apps, and the numerous other social media sites. The biggest
problem is that many of the ads they receive promote and offer discrete
ordering of products that are unhealthy, unsafe and inappropriate for
teens and tweens – including the popular push of marijuana products and
vaping devices.
Many young people consciously or unconsciously look to media to help
them define who they are and what they want to become. They count on
the glamorous and cool characters depicted in these ads to help them
determine what behaviors are normal and what lifestyle choices will
provide them acceptance and inclusion among their peers, or maybe just
fun and excitement.
Ideally, as parents, we would simply steer our children away from such
advertising. However, these ads represent a critical, teachable moment.
Parental controls on social media and electronic devices can be quite
helpful in filtering out some of the junk, but our students need to be
taught to understand when and how people try to manipulate their
thoughts and feelings. It’s up to us to teach youth how to decode the
advertising messages they come across - therefore decreasing media’s
power and influence over them. This is called media literacy.
Anytime your child is on his or her phone, you can use it as an
opportunity to get a conversation going on the topic of media literacy.
You can start by sharing with them how you receive unwanted ads on your
phone as an example. Then ask your son or daughter about the ads that
pop up on their phones or other electronic devices. Ask if they ever
receive ads that, for example, promote products that could be harmful
to their health – like the popular vaping devices.
More than likely they will be able to tell you about a similar ad. If
they have been fortunate enough to have not received such ads, give
them an example of a product advertisement they may come across, then
discuss these questions to fuel their critical thinking:
Who created the ad?
What techniques did they use to get your attention?
What do they want you to do after seeing their message?
Would this be a healthy choice for you?
Do you think your health and safety are important to the ad sponsor?
How do you feel about it now?
It doesn’t have to be a particular type of ad to be a learning
experience. The key is to teach young people that no matter the product
being promoted, there is an advertiser with an intended message. It is
up to kids to think critically to interpret that message and apply it
to their lives appropriately. These questions only scratch the surface
when it comes to media literacy. But they’re a great start.
Learn how to get the drug prevention conversation started at
StartTalking.Ohio.Gov.
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