This is how media celebrities influence your children

As a parent, you may have done your part in raising your child well, ensuring they have good character development. However, there’s only so much you can do. There comes a time when your child is all grown, having a brain of their own. At this point, the least you can do is offer nuggets of wisdom to those who are willing to follow.

Celebrities have now become a very powerful and inevitable part of the media. Their influencing power enables them to sell ideas, products and beliefs to the society. As a parent, you have no control over this because most of these endorsements done by the celebrities are paid. However, you can guide your child on responsible analysis of this content.

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Teenage and early adulthood are the stages prone to the ideas sold by celebrities. This is because, at these stages, they are the most vulnerable audience that can easily be swayed to lifestyles, products and believes.

The media’s influence on your children is inevitable. However, a careful analysis of its advantages and disadvantages can help in the synthesis of the content while still allowing the children to enjoy themselves.

Make use of tools such as awareness and analysis. Without being intimidating , give them the guidance. While respecting their privacy, ensure you are vigilant on the media content they are exposed to. This will enable them to reap most benefits from almost all forms of media.

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How to protect your child from media influence

Monitor your child’s media content.Provide them with digital media support. Spend time with them and monitor their behavior.Be a role model to your child by limiting your own screen time and encouraging conversations.Encourage them to question their role models through the following questions:

Why they like a certain public figure/ celebrity

Reasons they follow the public figure/ celebrity

Specific values that interests them before they can start following the celebrities/ public figure

5. Encourage your children to participate in media awareness programs to equip them with necessary tools for positive use of the media.

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