Many youths get easily influenced during adolescence. Music is highly influential can create negative impacts on youths. Constant exposure to negative issues such as sex, drugs and violence can lead to undesirable behaviors. Thus, youths imitate these negative acts due to repeated portrayals by the media.

Music is significant in adolescent lives. Most teenagers “spend an average 4 to 5 hours a day listening to music or watching music videos.” [1] Therefore, music plays an important role in the development of these youths. I will discuss about music lyrics and music videos and how these create an impact on youths over the decades. I will also look at the possible ways of dealing with this rising issue.

Music lyrics are an important part of music. It contains messages and feeling that the singer wants to convey to the listeners. There are many genres of music that sends out different kinds of messages. Love, peace, freedom, violence and anger are some of the messages that can be spread through music lyrics.

Music lyrics have become increasingly explicit over the decades. Songs make common graphic references to sex, drugs and violence, unlike the past where se

Despite music videos’ popularity among teenagers, many adults criticize the medium as studies show that music videos often contain violence, sexism, suicide, substance abuse and inappropriate sexual behaviour [5]. Watching videos may induce violent and aggressive feelings that can lead to violent behaviors in youths. In 1998, a “study of 518 music videos from 4 popular music video networks, contained almost 15% of interpersonal violence, with an average of 6 violent acts per violence-containing video.” [6] As for music genre, “ 20% of rap videos portrayed violence, and the carrying of weapons was the highest in rock and rap videos.” [7]

As for music videos, “parents should spend more time with their children in television viewing” [9]. I feel that parents should discuss the contents with their children and thus, this will indirectly initiate the process of selective viewing. Music video producers should also be encouraged to produce music videos with more positive themes such as relationships, racial harmony, non-violence and conflict resolution and drug avoidance.

“Forty-seven percent (47%) of mothers with children in public schools believe that violent messages in rap and rock music contribute “ a great deal” to school violence “[2]. And “sixty-six percent (66%) of 13-17 year olds believe that violence in music is partly responsible for violent crimes” [3] like the 1999 Columbine High School shootings. The teenagers involved in the shootings apparently had a fascination for rock singer, Marilyn Manson, whose lyrical themes include hatre

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