According to a recent study, those children who watch R rated movies are more likely to start drinking early in life than those who are not allowed to watch them. Around 3600 children from middle school were questioned, which led to the following conclusions:
- Among the kids whose parents never permitted them to view R rated movies, only 3 had started drinking.
- Among those who were allowed to watch these movies sometimes, 19% were seen to have started to have alcohol.
- 25% of those kids that watched R rated movies all the time were seen to have started underage drinking.
It is found that depictions of alcohol consumption appear in about 90 percent of R-rated movies, and it could be because of this fact that children who see such movies are more likely to start drinking at a young age.
This study underscores the central importance of parental monitoring of media exposure upon their children. The movies they watch, the TV programs they watch, the video games and other media they are exposed to all have to be monitored for age appropriateness and general suitability.
It isn’t just underage drinking that is a possible fall out of the influence that media has on young minds. Early smoking, violent behavior and indulging in early sexual behavior are also possible results of this.
Source: HealthDay
