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Poisoning Innocent Minds
How young is too young? As Facebook and texting grows it’s not just staying within teenagers and adults. Children younger then 13 are starting to join the Facebook phenomena and children younger then 10 are receiving cell phones along with texting. Schools are facing problems with cyber-bulling and harassment and letters are being sent home as young as 4th grade. More and more cases of cyber- bulling and “sexting” are being reported every day. At the innocent ages of 8 and 9, what possibly could they be sending to each other? Not only are these messages being sent through phones and social networking but toys are now enforcing “sexual” behavior in young children. A new line of dolls called “Monster High Dolls”, which originate from the television show Monster High, are suggesting inappropriate behavior in younger girls. The Monster High doll “Clawdeen Wolf” encourages girls to “pluck and shave” excess, unwanted hair in order to be beautiful and also tells that her favorite activity is shopping and flirting with boys. The dolls are targeted towards pre-teens but are being picked up by girls’ ages 5 through 7. The image that the doll portrays alone is enough to change a young girl from innocent to self-conscious. Television shows on children’s channels such as Disney and Nick are showing kissing and relationships and encourage a specific body image. How can we expect these young girls to grow up healthy and self-confident when the world around them, that should be kid friendly, is pushing for the perfect body image and the need for a “boyfriend”. The innocence is being stripped from these girls without them even knowing and without most parents noticing the change in innocent toys and television shows to the manipulating nature of the progressing electronic world.
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