We got news for you – it isn’t that great for older viewers!
The Girl Scouts of the USA are sending out a warning to all of their troops nation wide:
Don’t watch reality television and you won’t become a “mean girl.”
The organization’s Research Institute (who knew?!) conducted an aggressive study on the behaviors of teen girls who watch reality show and found “teen girls who regularly view reality TV accept and expect a higher level of drama, aggression, and bullying in their own lives, and measure their worth primarily by their physical appearance.”
A rep for the Institute added that reality TV shows:
“…more frequently portrays girls and women in competition with one another rather than in support or collaboration. This perpetuates a ‘mean-girl’ stereotype and normalizes this behavior among girls.”
The Girl Scouts also noted:
“We don’t want girls to avoid reality TV, but want them, along with their parents, to know what they are getting into when they watch it.”
That sounds fair enough. Besides, what really defines a “reality show”? Should kids stay away from shows on National Geographic about cute tigers and penguins? We think not!
Still, it might be a good idea to keep the girls away from the Housewives franchise until they’re old enough to reach the peddles on the Honda.
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