Prejudice based on a person’s gender is something that has been there for decades, but despite the identification of the problem, it’s still very much prominent, especially among teens. Entertaining as they may be, shows like “How I Met Your Mother” and “Two and a Half Men” seem to be perpetuating the culture of sexism through sexist innuendos and casual display of gender discrimination. Kids tend to base their perception of the real world on what they see on TV and try to imitate the lifestyle and behavior of characters in their favorite shows. As parents, it’s your job to know of the teenage shows to watch out for, and shield your kid from its influence. It is also important to understand that the effect of such sitcoms on male and female teens may be different.

The potential effects of comedy sitcoms on male teens

If you’ve seen any of the inappropriate TV shows for children, you may already be aware of the degree of female objectification that takes place in them. The characters of Barney Stinson and Charlie Sheen, for instance, regularly treat women as nothing but means of fulfilling their desires, giving little to no though to the emotions of the latter. The ladies in the show don’t make a big out of it either. In fact, they are shown to be okay with it, as their main concerns include money and marriage, not objectification or the immaturity of men. Furthermore, Comedy sitcoms tend to create a strong correlation between superficial values and relationships. Things such as money and looks are often the primary considerations when choosing a partner. Being exposed to such attitude and behavior can teach young kids to view females in the same light, which in turn can lead to disrespectful behavior. It can even possibly sow the seeds for something direr such as sexual harassment or rape, for instance.

The potential effects of comedy sitcoms on female teens

The more female teens look at comedy sitcoms that depict objectification of women, the more comfortable they may grow with it. Rather than finding the likes of Barney and Charlie repulsive, they simply shrug of their actions as “boys will be boys”. This acceptance is carried by them to the real world. Another thing about comedy sitcoms is that they often portray men as stupid and immature. The likes of Robin Scherbatsky and Lily Aldrin are shown to be smart, clever and ferocious, sitting in the driving seat of the relationships and getting their male counterparts out of fixes. Watching such sitcoms not only makes female teenagers to accept sexism, but also adopt it by falling for the stereotype that boys never grow up and that they will have to settle for a boy in a man’s body.

What parents can and should do

Ideally, the exposure of teens to such sitcoms should be minimized, but due to job, the popularity of such sitcoms, and their ease of access, it may not always be possible. You can still deal with the issue to some extent through parental controls. Most contemporary television sets come with the feature to block certain channels. In order to keep your kid from streaming these shows online without your consent, use a parental control software. They can let you add filters to restrict streaming sites.

Aside from dealing with the issue through technology, accompany your teens as often as possible while they are watching these sitcoms and point out the male and female stereotypes and their inaccuracies. You can also use it as an opportunity to explain how judging someone or their role on the basis of gender is inappropriate and unacceptable. You should also teach them to not only say no to sexism, but also develop intolerance for it.

The exaggeration and distortion of reality is common in TV shows, making them a potential threat for a healthy mental development of young people. Parents need to realize this threat and play their role in its mitigation.