Title

Lyrical Content of Contemporary Popular Music (1999-2018) and the Role of Healthcare Providers in Media Education of Children and Adolescents

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Cureus

Publication Date

10-28-2020

Abstract

Music can affect the behavior and emotion of children and adolescents. We conducted a content and trend analysis of Billboard's top 10 songs, 1999-2018, with particular attention to adult and positive themes. There was a total of 3633 total references, 3298 (90.8%) adult themes, and 335 (9.2%) positive themes. The most common adult themes were "sexually suggestive lyrics" (32.2%), "sexually suggestive dancing" (15.6%), "use of swear words" (13.7%), "alcohol use" (4.7%), and "use of guns/deadly weapons" (4.7%). The most common positive theme was "empowerment" (62.3%). There were greater references per minute for adult themes (4.8 vs. 3.7 references per minute) and positive themes (0.6 vs. 0.3 references per minute) in the 2009-2018 study period as compared with the 1999-2008 study period. We encourage pediatric healthcare providers to be active participants in the promotion of media education, and we encourage parents to be mindful of the level of media exposure.

Volume

12

Issue

10

First Page

e11214

DOI

10.7759/cureus.11214

ISSN

2168-8184

PubMed ID

33269144

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