Title: The AAP Seeks Improvement in Rock Music Lyrics and Videos
Category: Positive Parenting
The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging parents to take
a more active role in monitoring their children's video watching. A high percentage of rock music lyrics today are
sexually explicit and convey very
harmful health messages including sadism,
masochism, Satanism and suicide. Approximately
75 percent contain sexually
suggestive material. Approximately
56 percent contain violence,
usually against women. Certainly
watching these videos an average of one to two
hours per day, as the average American teenager does, is not a healthy long term habit.
Since we all learn from repetition, constant watching and
listening of these type materials will probably have a big impact on our
youth today. The American Academy
of Pediatrics is urging that parents get involved in demanding better standards
for these rock video lyrics and the videos themselves. It is recommended that
they get actively involved in viewing these videos with their children and
teaching their children to scrutinize what they watch and listen to.
Most of our teenagers are very bright and with a little guidance by their
parents can learn to recognize what is good for them and what is not.
Without parental guidance, however, they are left at the mercy of MTV and
any other profit motivated advertisers. As
a music lover myself, I strongly recommend singing to
your children at a young age and introducing them to all types of
music including classical music from infancy on so that they will have a
broad interest in music and personally demand good
musical sounds and lyrics in their musical taste.
There are no guarantees but I think it is worth striving for.
I, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics, encourage you to get
actively involved in your children's music listening and video watching.
Start early and you might enjoy sharing a lifetime of good music
together.