As I flip the TV channel anxiously on a Monday night, I bet that almost every teen is doing the same exact thing. I am waiting for the latest episode of the ultra glamorous TV series, Gossip Girl. Like many teens, I'm completely addicted to this attention grabbing series. The stylish designer outfits, glamorous Upper East Side, gorgeous guys, and alluring plots have hooked millions of teens to this racy drama. But many adults and professionals wonder: Is the show too graphic for their children? Is it too controversial? But, I (and other teens) argue: Why shouldn't their children be exposed to some issues that real teens go through?

I think that teenagers have a right to watch shows like Gossip Girl. Some of the things showed in this show are things that happen in real life. Many teenagers drink underage, question their sexuality, and have sexual activities before marriage. This is not unusual. It’s called reality.
Adults do not want to their children to see these things, but in truth, these things happen in their teenagers’ lives, whether they are directly or indirectly exposed to it. I do not believe that shows are the reason for teenage sex, underage drinking, smoking, etc. These are just issues that happen naturally, not because a show is ‘promoting it’. In addition, Chace Crawford, who plays Nate Archibald on Gossip Girl has said that the show is not, “making an instruction manual telling [teens] how to drink and do drugs, or have sex. We're just laying out how it is.” This is the problem: adults are oblivious that their teens know about these things, and they are trying to ‘protect them’ from getting exposed to it. But in reality, commercials and ads all around their precious teenagers display some of these issues, mostly promoting them. Adults should not blame TV shows as the reason. Adults need to teach their kids about these problems and they need to realize that it’s many factors that lead their teens to smoke, drink, have sex, and more.
In some ways, these shows portray some of these issues as a bad thing, rather than a good thing. For example, in season 1 of Gossip Girl, Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) thinks that she is pregnant after she had sex with two guys. In this episode, Blair is confused and regrets her decisions. However, some professionals argue that shows like these promote that sex and drinking are glamorous. New studies that were conducted showed that teenage girls had a better chance of becoming pregnant because of watching racy dramas. Anita Chandra, a behavioral scientist says, “Risqué TV watching was closely linked with pregnancies even when other factors such as grades, family structure and parents' education level were considered.” Some professionals suggest that TV as well as other factors play a part in teen sexual activity.
So, if you are a big Gossip Girl fan like me who is allowed to watch the show, remind yourselves that a show is purely for entertainment and fun. There are many reasons besides watching shows that push people to do unsafe things.