Advertisings Unintended Consequences
By Adam McLane on October 18 2008
According to a new study by to be published by the American Journal of Public Health, ad campaigns, such as the publicly funded Partnership for a Drug-Free America, designed to dissuade kids from using drugs may actually encourage drug use.
“Youths who saw the campaign ads took from them the message that their peers were using marijuana,” the report suggests as a possible reason for its findings. “In turn, those who came to believe that their peers were using marijuana were more likely to initiate use themselves.” link
In youth ministry, this study could have far reaching effects. On the one hand, we desire to fill our students with truth to handle the challenges they face in today’s pluralistic society. On the other hand, we don’t want to introduce a curiosity to younger adolescents and accidentally educate them on something they are unaware of.
This doesn’t just apply to drugs, does it? This could also apply to how we talk about many hot topics that youth groups discuss all the time.
For discussion: How do you balance educating students enough so that they make wise decisions, yet guard against them being curious about something they’d never considered before?
Comments
From Karen on October 19, 2008
Welcome, youthworkers, to the world of being a parent. I think this is the dilemma that truly can claim being “age old”, and will extend beyond all technology. There will always be a battle of education vs. what we hope with all sincerity our kids will believe in rooted in our faith and educational systems provided.
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From Adam Lemmings on January 25, 2010
Thanks for sharing, this article is just great, especially for beginners. I thought I would leave my first comment
From hotel in der tuerkei on January 30, 2010
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