Fiona Hao, RDF International School

In today’s fast-paced world of social media and entertainment, there is an increasing amount of media coverage of celebrities. Idol-producing talent shows are wildly popular on social media in China and are loved by young people.

Talking about boys’ and girls’ band groups seems to be the most common trend among teenagers. However, I believe that social media and entertainment will lead the young people to many misbehaviors. Today, celebrity scandals are just as likely to receive publicity as are celebrity achievements.

Many famous people have received more attention for their misuse of drugs and alcohol than for their successes on the stage or in sports. The reports like that become more and more frequent in recent news. The coverage of celebrities can lead to a distorted view of the world for children.

Another phenomenon, as the spread of idol productions shows, is the average age of celebrities has become lower (below the age of 20).

Therefore, they may easily make some mistakes because of their educational level. Teenagers would learn from them. People in the entertainment industry, as public figures, play a certain role in the hearts of young people and the general public. Those who lack the ability to think clearly are likely to mislead some extreme fans. They ruin the values and outlook on life of this generation.

Those negative influences of celebrities on children can clearly be seen in children’s career aspirations. These days, young people are much more likely to see themselves as potential sports stars or entertainers. The prevalence of these figures in the mass media may convey the impression that such positions are plentiful.

As a result, children can be developing unrealistic expectations that they will also become rich and famous celebrities.

It is important that children should be taught to critically evaluate what they see in the media so that they can form a more realistic view of behaviors, society, and indeed themselves.