Question:
I have a 12.5 yr old daughter who has taken up obsessive behavior regarding some musical performers that are way above her age in there 40s. she goes on the internet to research all about there personal life and i try to restrict her. what i would like to ask is if this is age appropriate behavior? i feel she is too young to be doing this and like i said try to restrict what she can view from what not, but feel if i am too strict it just pulls her in that direction.can you give me some advise as to how to handle this situation.
Answer:
ParentingTeensOnline expert, Renée Hobbs, Ed.D., M.A., is one of the nation's leading authorities on media literacy education. She is a Professor of Communication at Temple University's School of Communication and Theater, where she directs the Media Education Lab, a center for research and community service in media literacy. She has created numerous award-winning multimedia curriculum materials, including My Pop Studio for tween girls. Renée answers:
Teens sometimes develop attachments with celebrities that are hard for parents to understand. With her peers, your daughter's knowledge about celebrities probably gives her a kind of authority that feels good and makes her feel important and knowledgeable. Teens rarely get to be "experts" about anything--- but your daughter has found a topic on which she can be an expert. Let her demonstrate her expertise to you and ask her questions that encourage her to widen her expertise and curiosity beyond the celebrity's daily life to the larger social context and time period in which the artist grew up. Encourage her to read reviews of the celebrity from other people who have strong opinions (pro and con) about them. Participate in some Internet search activities where you can help her separate the real information from the media hype. Encourage her to analyze and question the quality of information available about the celebrity. You can ask, "Who is sending this message and what is their purpose? What's missing from this information?" With your support, she can develop solid critical thinking skills by building upon her passionate interest in this celebrity to learn about other important topics and issues in our culture and society today.