Listening to Music

“On any given day, 85% of U.S. 8- to 18-year-olds spend at least a few minutes listening to one of the audio media, and 44% spend in excess of an hour.” —The Kaiser Family Foundation, Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8–18 Year-olds, 2005


Benefits:

Music is a powerful communicator of emotion and an excellent channel of self-expression. It can also be a great middle ground that brings parents and children together. But remember, every generation is defined by its own music, and kids today are no exception.


Risks:

Music piracy is not just unethical; it’s illegal. Sharing music with friends, downloading a few songs for free, or even purchasing an illegally copied CD may not seem like a big deal when done infrequently, but the recording industry is becoming increasingly tough in enforcing copyright regulations, and is even pressing charges on consumers.


In some cases, parents have been prosecuted for what their children did using the family computer. For many teens and tweens, musical artists are not just entertainment; they have an attractive lifestyle that these kids would like to adopt themselves. Parents may not always approve of the influence music videos and related products have on their children. Have frank discussions with your children about what they are listening to and watching. Ask them what they admire about the artists, and why. Tell your children that it is okay to admire and appreciate what musical artists bring to our lives but it is also important to be realistic about how much we allow them to influence our day-to-day activities.