Helga Silva

Hispanic teens are often protrayed as dropouts, hip-hoppers who live in unsafe neighborhoods where violence threatens their daily lives. Or they are shown as ethnic-centric youths disconected from the mainstream

reid

Unfortunately, I think teens aren't generally depicted in the news media all that often. In newspapers, when they are, it really varies depending on the writer and editor. There are probably more stereotypes used in television news (bit I think that's true in general). There's an assumption that teens are mostly tech savvy, constantly IMing and interested in material things.

Julie Topping

I believe young people are portrayed the way adults see them: through our prisms, through our experiences, through our points of view. It's why we don't see young people doing what they really do in life, why they are such a big mystery to boomers. (For example, Brittany, our helper, just educated me about Soldier Boys, a YouTube video I didn't have a clue about.)

So, we often see teenagers in school settings, family settings, neighborhood settings (if they are helping volunteer or something else important to adults). If they are urban teens we may see them involved in drugs, crime or other undesirable activity. But we don't often see them doing what an everyday young person might do.

We also put our own language, fears and thoughts in their mouths...not really giving them a chance to speak for themselves.

Edwina Blackwell Clark

The Media often does not portray teens in a accurate light. We certainly cover High School athletics and when we write stories about that. Teens are portrayed as goal oriented and overcoming many obstacles to succeed.

But on the flip side, today's young people are seen as shopaholics who are dependent on their cell phones and IM. High achieving youth involved in community service and those that help out younger teens or who are religious or spiritual are almost non-existent in the media. Most of the time you see teens, they are being charged with a crime.

Brittany Owens

How are teenage portrayed in news media?

In my eyes I belive that it effect them, (like the jena 6)

Student