One of the most critical and vulnerable stages of human development is adolescence. This is true for any boy or girl and, in fact, is the most susceptible to changes, which largely affect the psychological level of the human being (Craig & Baucum, 2001). In modern culture, media (both audiovisual) exert a great influence on the adolescent mind. Video games alone once posed a critical factor and potential threat to a teenager's rapidly altering mind, however the media, which includes both print and television, plays a significantly disturbing role in deteriorating the minds of teenagers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Young and developing, rapidly changing minds were once victims of violent games on their gadgets and now the role is shared by films, advertisements and various television programs showing extreme violence and life-threatening activities, action stunts of various types, exposure of the female body as a commodity, emphasis on sexual content. All this and much more is continually broadcast on billboards, television, radio commercials and misleads the minds of teenagers into potentially disturbing realities. It is not proven through research as the topic is up for debate, so literature is not a sufficient resource to establish a vital link between media and adolescent behavior. However, there is no denying the potentially negative impact all around us. We see our children imitating dangerous stunts and various adult behaviors that are broadcast daily on television. Unfortunately, these accidents and their deadly consequences are also reported by the media themselves. Speaking of psychological development, we cannot ignore the contribution of Albert Bandura, a psychologist specialized in studies on social learning. According to Bandura, the media will be considered the third possible source of influence on the minds of adolescents, after family and society (Huston & Wright, 1996). Indeed, “the acquisition process can be greatly shortened by providing social models” (Bandura, 1963, p. 3) of these observations instead of observing or learning a certain behavior. In connection with Bandura's (1963) social learning theory, learning through observation or modeling provides us with sufficient evidence by hearing and seeing other people around us. Our memories act as storage devices that capture the actions and ideas we observe people take on a daily basis. Role models prevail in all types of cultures and it is through these role models that adults, adolescents, and young people learn various behavioral patterns (Bandura, 1963, p. 47). In most cultures most adult behaviors are imitated and this has no clear and justifiable explanation. In Western cultures, parents are likely to provide their children with gender-based toys, which are miniatures of real appliances used by adults. They grow up with these toys and easily acquire adult behaviors (Bandura, 1963). The physical images depicted on television, especially in advertisements, are simply an exposure effect that reigns on the minds of adolescents. The media constantly shows different idealistic images of a perfect body that puts extreme pressure on teenagers' lives or expectations about different ways of living, teenagers have a lot of pressure in their lives. Please note: this is just an example. Get a personalized item now.