Music videos are a powerful medium because they combine the energy of music with the power of visual images. While kids often don't pay a lot of attention to the lyrics of their favourite songs, the visual images that accompany the same music on TV have a much greater impact because they are impossible to ignore.
Many Canadian radio stations will not play music with explicit lyrics, but young children can easily access music by controversial artists such as Eminem, Kid Rock and Marilyn Manson by watching their music videos on television.
According to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), up to 75 per cent of music videos contain sexually suggestive material. Women are often portrayed in a sexist manner, and alcohol and tobacco use is frequently glamourized. More than 50 per cent contain violence, which often includes acts committed against women.
The AAP concluded that sexist and violent portrayals in music videos could "distort adolescents' expectations about conflict resolution, race and male-female relationships."
Parents should encourage older kids to analyze the dominant messages in music videos by asking these questions:
- What are the similarities between videos? What are the differences?
- How are the following individuals depicted in videos?
- visible minorities
- teenagers
- women
- men
- parents
- authority figures
- What lifestyle choices are promoted in these videos, in terms of tobacco and alcohol use, or sexual activity?
- Is the video an effective marketing tool for the artist?
- What trends in popular culture have been inspired by these videos?
(Source: Popular Music & Music Videos teaching lesson)
