Mediated risks through rose-tinted glasses? Exploring barriers and boosters to critical deconstructions of mediated risk behavior by Dutch adolescents

Abstract Given the potential for media portrayals to affect adolescents’ cognitions regarding risk behaviors and the importance of message interpretation processes, this study investigates how adolescents give meaning to media portrayals of risk behavior (e.g., alcohol, smoking, drugs, sex, and reckless behavior) and which factors play a role within this process through 7 focus groups followed by 50 individual interviews with adolescents. Findings indicate adolescents are far from passive consumers of media portrayals of risk behavior. Participants expressed awareness of the ubiquity and symbo... Mehr ...