By  Stephanie Gross

Staff Writer

Extreme explosion at a major televised event, teen moms gone crazy and a long list of other contributing factors could keep going on forever are the reason that young people are becoming more and more influenced to act out the way they do.

These days pop culture is becoming more and more of an influence on young people. Explicit lyrics of many songs on the radio and risqué scenes on popular TV series and movies beam into teenagers’ bedrooms, young people think it’s “cool” to follow the example set by these artists and actors that engage in inappropriate behavior.

Pop culture takes sensitive issues like teen pregnancy and molds it into something that is glorified.

For example, the girls on MTV’s “Teen Mom” are usually no older than I. While I am in school living a normal life and laughing with my friends, these girls are getting paid by a television network to raise children and struggle in dysfunctional relationships. That is absolutely ridiculous.

These shows are glorifying the idea of getting pregnant at an early age and raising children when they are still children themselves.

That is not the way the world is supposed to work. I feel like this type of inappropriate behavior is becoming a norm in our society today. Middle and high school girls watch shows like “Teen Mom,” engage in sexual activity and think that being a mother at 16 is OK.

Nothing could be further from reality.

These poor girls are robbed of their teenage years and often grow up to be lost and unproductive adults. Their children do not have a fair chance in life due to the their moms live their lives. Children have absolutely no business having children.

As strangely addicting that watching these shows such as Teen Mom can be, there is still no reason why teens should be following the example these shows set.

Even outside of MTV, television can negatively influence young people, and these shows are a huge contributor to what kids these days are seeing and imitating.

Miley Cyrus, formerly the sweet and beloved Hannah Montana, recently made a public spectacle of herself on the MTV Video Awards when she repeatedly stuck out her tongue, pointed to her crotch with an oversized foam finger, grossly gyrated her lower body and stripped almost naked on live television and in front of an audience filled with young and impressionable teens.

Thousands of young kids idolize Hannah Montana and might feel compelled to imitate this former teen idol.

Let’s hope not.

Another bad message to today’s young people is Miley Cyrus’s summer hit “We Can’t Stop.”

Even though it’s extremely catchy, most people who listen to the song at first, including myself might not stop and think about what the lyrics are really saying. I mean think about it, “we can kiss who we want” and “bet somebody here might get some now.” What kind of message is the once innocent Hannah Montana truly sending?

If I saw an 11-year-old singing those lyrics, I would feel compelled to yank the earphones right out of her ears.

I would ask her if she even knows what “get some” means. If she does, it wouldn’t be good. Eleven is simply too young to be robbed of your innocence.

It is not just crazy celebrities making a scene on award shows that is influencing young people, but repeated exposure to television shows such as “Family Guy” and “South Park” desensitizes kids to foul language and exposes them to violence as well.

Kids see violent behavior on TV on a daily basis don’t think twice about beating up another kid up on a bus or in the bathroom at school. Kids randomly shoot joggers with absolutely no thought to the consequences, such as the killing of an Australian college baseball player attending East Central Oklahoma University. The boys reason of killing the innocent student? They were “bored”. It is all just a big game to them.

Children drop curse words without thought due to them constantly hear them on network television.

This raises a huge concern. If kids are acting out in such a manner that is so horribly inappropriate, what makes anyone think that this won’t carry on into their everyday lives as they grow up?

The lingering question still remains, what will become of our youth?