In the coming months the entertainment industry will break its arm in an attempt to pat itself on the back and tell itself how great its stars are, bombarding the airwaves with a slew of self-serving and self-promoting awards shows like the People's Choice, American Music, Golden Globe and Grammy awards, etc. Aside from massaging the egos of many of the hottest stars in the entertainment industry, the shows -- aimed mostly at teen audiences who spend billions of dollars each year to keep the industry afloat -- are an even greater enticement to pry even more money from the pockets of young consumers caught up in the teen music craze that has swept the country.

Ja Rule, Kid Rock, Jay-Z, Eminem, Nelly, Snoop Dogg and others are not only competing for the aural fancy of teens, but also for some of our youngest consumers -- pre-teens -- with lyrics and accompanying videos full of obscenities, sexual behavior, violence and reference to drug usage. Even the once-wholesome Britney Spears is now pushing the envelope with her demeanor, song lyrics, costumes -- what little she wears -- and other aspects of her personal life that are not exactly the thing most parents would like their teen-age daughters to emulate.

As grade school-aged youth across the country, in an effort to imitate their teen role models, lip sync and recite word-for-word these sexually explicit and obscenities-spiked lyrics from the most popular recording artists, what is a parent to do?

According to a Kansas State University professor of developmental psychology, in reality, as individuals, parents have very little control over the entertainment world that they may encounter. John Murray said parents may not understand the lyrics their children are singing and dancing to, but they don't have to feel completely helpless either.

"Parents often throw up their hands and say 'I just can't always turn off the radio or monitor what they're listening to,'" Murray said. "And they're absolutely right, they can't.

"We can complain as individuals and as a group and we can express concern but until there is a major outpouring of official concern, such as the report issued by the Surgeon General's office as a follow-up to the Columbine massacre, something that suggests 'There's something wrong here and we need to address it,' little change will be seen in the promotion of violence -- usually violence directed against women and girls."

According to Murray, the issue is not so much the sexually explicit or violent lyrics in the music many youngsters across the country are listening to, but rather how are those sexually explicit and violent lyrics portrayed.

"It would be good if the lyrics weren't fantasy; if there were real consequences to the sexual behavior asserted in the lyrics and an understanding of the real problems and risks involved with that behavior, Murray said. "Also, the issue of violence against women that infuses some rap and other popular music is an issue that needs to be addressed by both male and female artists. But that's not what comes across in entertainment."

Murray recommends parents express their values and concerns about what their child is listening to. For younger children, he suggests parents set rules and limits and talk about why those rules and limits are in place.

"These things do have an effect on your child; the message does get across by talking to your youngster," Murray said. "Your child will think 'Maybe this isn't as cool as it could be. I kind of like doing it but I feel guilty about it.' It's what your mother did to you as you were growing up -- instill guilt. However, while I don't recommend 'guilt trips' by parents, I do recommend that parents talk about the music encountered by their children.

"These are easy things that parents can do," Murray said. "They can't be everywhere but they can just plant the seed that this isn't the thing to do and that there are other ways to establish relationships and live in this world."

---Kansas State University

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