Many people believe that media coverage of celebrities is having a negative effect on children. to what extent do you agree?

In the

paast

the time that has elapsed

past

post

, news about famous people may have been confined to gossip columns in newspapers, these days it is not uncommon for celebrities to feature as front page news. There is evidence that the public feels there is too much news coverage of famous people. Not surprisingly, there is concern about how

this

might be affecting people, and

in particular

children. One of the possible negative consequences of the cult of

celebrity

is the tendency to confuse fame and notoriety.

Celebrity

scandals are just as likely to receive publicity as

celebrity

achievements. Indeed, some famous people have received more attention for their misuse of

drgs

a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic

drugs

and

alchohol

a liquor or brew containing alcohol as the active agent

alcohol

than for their successes on the

stageor

Suggestion

stage or

sports. Children who crave attention may come to see misbehaviour as normal. The emphasis on individuals in the public eye may

also

be at

expense

Suggestion

the expense

of serious news coverage.

Next

to the superficial excitement of

celebrity

gossip, news about serious events and issues, that have a more profound effect on people's lives may seem uninteresting. Children may be forming a very

distored

so badly formed or out of shape as to be ugly

distorted

picture of how the world works. The negative influence of celebrities on children can

also

be seen in children's career aspirations. These days, young people are much more to see themselves as potential sports stars or entertainers. The prevalence of these

figues

a diagram or picture illustrating textual material

figures

in the mass media may convey the impression that

such

positions are plentiful. Children may be developing unrealistic expectations that they too will become rich and famous. In summary, the cult of

celebrity

may be affecting children in a number of undesirable ways. It is important that children be taught to critically evaluate what they see in the media so that they can form a more realistic view of the society, acceptable behaviour and indeed themselves