The Buffalo News

Friday, May 9, 2008

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Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
Jonathan and Cynthia Winnie do homework with their daughters Julia, 13, and Crystal, 5. The Winnies say it is a struggle to keep tabs on their children's media intake.

Parents battle youth culture rife with violent and sexual images

By Stephen T. Watson NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 05/09/08 9:13 AM

If parents are engaged in a battle for the hearts and minds of their kids, Miley Cyrus and “Grand Theft Auto IV” made it much harder to win the war.

The past 10 days brought the release of sexy photos of the 15-year-old “Hannah Montana” superstar, as well as the launch of the latest incarnation of the violent, popular video game.

The Cyrus photos and “GTA IV” are just the latest controversies involving sexualized images and violence in the media.

You need look no further than the Pioneer School District — where young girls sent naked photos of themselves to boys by cell phone — to understand the effect of oversexualization of young people, some experts say. And that behavior is by no means isolated to Pioneer.

“This is a battle for the hearts, minds, souls and innocence of our children,” said Jonathan Winnie, a claims adjuster for an insurance company who lives in Clarence and has three children. “As a parent,...

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