Based on both my research and my own original ideas, I believe that peers have a stronger influence on the likelihood of teens shoplifting than the media does. Although the media does hold an undeniable influence over teens today, their peers are the number one motivators of this behaviour when it comes down to it.
The article that was in favour of media influence was informative, but it covered a variety of different facets that made it less specific to the topic of teen shoplifting, touching on it for only a small portion of the piece. The data used is also more outdated, ranging from 1992 to 2001. While it may have been accurate at the time it was published, trends regarding youth and the media have changed drastically in the past 20 years which renders much of the information from this article as more of a teaching point from past statistics then a guide to the current issues at hand.
In contrast, my articles that were in favour of peer influence dived into the topic of teen shoplifting deeply and provided statistics that are up to date and current with today's trends. And although they consulted data from studies that date back all the way to the 1960s, they used them to provide a timeline that lets you compare the past to the present.
I believe that for most adolescents, their peers have the highest degree of influence on the likelihood of them making a negative choice like shoplifting.
I agree teens pressure other teens to act deviant, but I believe it depends on the teen. Not all teens are interested in behaving deviant, but the media plays a role that usually gets across to all types of teens. Whether it is through movies, tv, magazines, or books.
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