11 page for Psychology of Addiction and Substance Abuse

Jada Owens PSYC324

Media Proposal Media Proposal

The example I will be using for this media proposal will be the show Degrassi. Degrassi is a show that is primarily targeted for young teens, typically 13 and up. They were shown to be focusing on middle school and high school students. While some scenes in Degrassi show how substance use can affect teens in real life. The show doesn’t really glamorize drugs or

alcohol use, but shows things like peer pressure, the consequences, and how fast your decisions can impact your life. Show casing characters trying drugs just because they want

to fit in with their peers or characters using substances to cope with pain in their life. Degrassi seems to be a show that helps assist in opening uncomfortable conversations

that most people are too afraid of growing up. Like the different communities that mental health or addiction isn’t really talked about.

The most important thing that we really must recognize is that it is not always taken that way depending on the person, mindset, or age group watching. In the media Degrassi can

highly influence how young children view substance use. As a young kid and watching these characters and scenes, it’s very easy to get caught up in influence, drama, and not

fully process or understand the true message. The show for some kids may normalize those choices they observe if they don’t have the proper guidance to break it down for them. That’s why it’s a big deal for parents, teachers, and mentors to have conversations with

their children on what they see on TV. Because while Degrassi can try and teach lessons, it can still be impactful depending on who’s watching and support they have in their

environment.