When I Grow Up,I Want to Be…

Every so often， a sensational story hits the media about the kind of role models influencing UK teenagers. Youth culture celebrates too many bad examples， the reports say， and the finger of blame is often pointed at celebrities who drink or take drugs or who are seen as sexually promiscuous[随便的].

Yet according to many parents and educationalists， the media itself is partly to blame. They argue that television， newspapers and magazines are obsessed with celebrity lives and over-promote a ‘celebrity culture in which reality show stars are revered[崇敬] purely because they are on television.

Meanwhile child psychologists warn of the negative effects of unsuitable role models， claiming that young people are being brainwashed into wanting to become famous overnight， into valuing physical appearance over achievement or into setting themselves impossible goals. According to a 2010 Home Office study， too many girls think that they have to look ‘sexy and ‘hot like their idols， and when they cant achieve this， they lose self-esteem or suffer from depression and eating disorders.

But perhaps young people today are more discerning[有辨识能力的] than they are given credit for. They are certainly more media savvy[悟性]. The Girls Attitudes Survey by Girlguiding UK（2011）， for example， showed that young girls aged 11 to 21 questioned the medias portrayal of women. Over half of the respondents disagreeed with the statement that ‘girls and young women are portrayed fairly in the media.

A Scout Association survey， of over a thousand 13- to 18-year-olds， showed that teenagers see their parents and siblings as far more positive role models than celebrities， and while many youngsters list celebrities like Kate Moss and Katie Price as role models， others list high achievers like David Beckham， Paralympian swimmer Eleanor Simons， and grandparents who fought in the Second World War.

Activity

The term media is a plural noun for all the different ways to communicate with lots of people at the same time. Complete the word web with three examples from the article and then add three more examples.