Five shows that undermine teen motivation and fuel harmful jealousy.
Our society legally bans content containing excessive sexual, violent, explicit, or drug-related materials by setting an age limit because of its potential to negatively affect teens
But oddly enough, the content that truly shook my life wasn’t restricted at all. The movies and TV shows on this list are legal for teenagers to watch. Yet they quietly mess with my mental state and leave effects that linger long after watching.
- Showbiz Kids
WARNING : Do not watch while doing homework.
“Showbiz Kids” follows celebrities who became actors or singers at a very young age and shares their struggles and success as child entertainers.
I felt sorry for them, but only one thought dominated my mind the entire time : “So jealous.”
Watching it, teens might search things like “child actor salary” or “how much child celebrities make” and even want to stop studying and debut as an entertainer instead.
This documentary kills teens' motivations to study.
- Keeping up with the Kardashians
WARNING : Do not watch in your bedroom.
“Keeping up with the Kardashians” follows Kim Kardashian’s family’s daily lives. Everything from their houses to vacations is admired, but the most shocking are their children’s lives, especially children’s birthday parties. They literally build an entire amusement park just for one party. Watching this, teens might think, “I wish I were one of their kids.” Of course, we love our parents, but for a moment, reality feels smaller. Our rooms feel smaller. Our lives feel smaller.
This show makes teens suddenly want to be reborn.
- Amazing Mary (Gifted)
WARNING : Do not watch while solving math problems
“Gifted” tells the story of Mary who is a young girl with extraordinary mathematical genius. She even finds errors in a math problem created by an MIT professor and solves it herself. Watching her while solving math problems, my math problems and my efforts to solve them suddenly felt meaningless.
I also advise that teenagers avoid watching this movie with their parents. After viewing it with mine, there was a brief silence between us. No one said anything, but everything was understood. This movie leads teens to feel their efforts are irrelevant and meaningless.
- Catch Me If You Can
WARNING : Do not watch when life feels boring
The protagonist, Frank Abagnale, forged checks, impersonated a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer. Even knowing all of this was illegal, his life looks exciting, leaving a desire to live like him.
Furthermore, the movie is based on the real figure Frank Abagnale, who was a con artist and check forger in his late teens, and the fact that he now lives a successful life and even gives lectures makes us long for his life even more.
This movie made our lives feel more boring, and teens would hanker for a life we know we’re not supposed to want.
- Lottery Changed My Life
WARNING : Do not watch when hating your life.
This documentary is the final boss. It follows lottery winners including some who eventually became unhappier than before.
But the real problem is that even after seeing this, I still feel endlessly jealous and think, “Still.. it couldn’t be better if it happened to me just once.” Dreaming of winning the lottery. teens would stop studying and beg our parents to buy a lottery ticket. This will also lead us to imagining futures : “If I win the lottery, I’d buy a house, a car, travel everywhere.”
Teenagers’ senses of reality fade, and our hopes for instant success grow bigger and bigger. This makes us hate our lives.
These five movies and TV shows on this list shake up our teenagers’ lives whether for better or worse. It’s not that teenagers must study all the time, but for teenagers who are in a phase where they’re expected to focus on studies, the movies and TV shows on this list have greater impacts than the contents the legally banned. The lives shown in these movies and shows feel like a glowing portal to another universe, starting our lives feel small, disappearing our motivation, weakening our metal stability, making studies meaningless. On the other hand, at the same time, the changes which begin from the feeling of jealousy can bring good results for us.