Music has a profound effect anyone who listens to it whether they are young or old. This effect may be heavier on adolescents and teenagers especially since this a critical point in their life. There are many research studies that try to figure out the effect that music has. Some believe that it has a great effect and some believe that music’s effect is not significant.
According to the article Does rap music put teens at risk?, teens who listened to rap music had a significant rise in destructive behaviors. The article states: “After studying 522 black girls between the ages of 14 and 18 from non-urban, lower socioeconomic neighborhoods, researchers found that compared to those who never or rarely watched these videos, the girls who viewed these ‘gangsta’ videos for at least 14 hours per week were far more likely to practice numerous destructive behaviors. Over the course of the one-year study, they were: Three times more likely to hit a teacher, Over 2.5 times more likely to get arrested, Twice as likely to have multiple sexual partners, 1.5 times more likely to get a sexually transmitted disease, use drugs, or drink alcohol.
Obviously these are alarming statistics that are a huge concern. Researcher Ralph J. DiClemente, PhD, of Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health also stated that there wasn’t just an association with one or two risky behaviors or violence but most of these girls participated in a string of these behaviors. Although the study only included African American girls this study can be used to promote further studies on the effects of music on adolescents .
Other people believe that it is more of the parents fault for the teens behaviors. According to the article, Cheryl Keyes, PhD, associate professor of ethnomusicology at UCLA and author of Rap Music and Street Consciousness said Yes, there are rap videos that are particularly violent or sexual, but let's look at what is more important in whether or not these kids...