Some believe that global media, namely internet, social media and news agencies have a greater influence on children while others assume that more impact in children’s upbringing have parents of the children. Thus, I consider that parents still have a bigger influence than mass media.
As a matter of fact, many parents who raise their children are closer to their children than the media, because they directly get in touch every day. Moreover, parents, since they have been raising children since childhood, know and can find a better approach to them than other ‘incomprehensible’ people on television or anywhere else. To elaborate, some knowledge that is obvious to everyone may be considered false in different families. For example, many people know that according to the latest scientist data, the planet on which we live has existed for about 4.5 billion years, however, in some religious families they still believe the Bible more and acknowledge that the Earth is only 6,000 years old.
Nevertheless, despite the great impact of parents, mass media have also a large influence on the fragile minds of children. Furthermore, the media can shape the agenda and, through their influence on society in general and on parents in particular, they make a great contribution to the upbringing of children. To elaborate, some media narratives promoted in society can have great success. For example, during the coronavirus pandemic, a massive advertising campaign for vaccinations against it led to the successful vaccination of most children, despite the loud voices of some parents, who were against vaccines.
In light of the above, one should draw the inescapable conclusion that the whole topic seems to be fairly controversial and ambiguous, that not only parents but also mass media have a large impact on children. Be that as it may, I still consider that parents’ impact on children’s self-development is more significant.