Influence of Celebrities on the Behaviour of Adolescents

The book summaries research findings on a study of the influence of celebrities on the behaviour of adolescents in high schools on a case study held in a province in Zimbabwe. The study established that in trying to identify with celebrities adolescents were influenced to imitate the behaviour of the celebrities they admired. The study concluded that students who regarded celebrities who were abusing substances as their role models ended up abusing substances as well. The students regarded the taking of substances by young celebrities as something normal and fashionable. In addition celebrities influenced students to engage in risky sexual behaviour through exposure to movies pornographic videos and social media channels such as YouTube Facebook and Twitter while on the other hand exposure to celebrities’ life styles shaped students’ academic success and broadened their knowledge of other forms of careers. To be self-conscious of the dangers associated adverse influence of celebrity culture parents should make it a habit to discuss with their children both benefits and risks associated with the life styles of celebrities and follow a proposed intervention model in this book.