One thing most can agree on is that Miley presents a horrible role model for young people, and while she is responsible for her actions — on and offstage — we need to look at where Miley came from in order to see the bigger issue. That issue is Disney Channel, which continually fails to promote ethical behavior, leading to the creation of horrible role models.

Xfinity.net has a slideshow titled “Disney Child Stars: Success to a Mess.” This slideshow includes some of our favorite Disney stars, including Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan and Shia LeBouf. The questions to ask are not what happened to these celebrities, but rather, why does this keep happening, and more importantly, what kind of people are Disney Channel viewers considering as role models and what effects this has on young viewers.

Disney Channel was initially created to give families a wholesome entertainment option, but that seems to have gone away over the past few years as Disney has evolved. In the place of meaningful shows, such as “In a Heartbeat,” there is just fluff, such as “Hannah Montana.”

What is most interesting about Disney Channel is its concern with certain issues that are important, but less important than the ethics of young people. According to Disney’s website, the company believes in creating “high-quality product and entertainment experiences.” They continue with a list of goals they have for creating “responsible content.” This list includes things such as promoting nutritious food and creating age-appropriate content, but nowhere is there mentioned any sort of ethically conscious motive. If Disney were more concerned with promoting ethical behavior, then they might find young stars that were not going to go crazy post-Disney Channel.

The next question is “what effect do these wayward stars have on our young people who view Disney Channel stars as role models?” Kidshealth.org provides an example of the effects of television on children in an article titled, “How TV Affects Your Child.”

The article states, “Many violent acts are perpetrated by the ‘good guys,’ whom kids have been taught to admire … This can lead to confusion when kids try to understand the difference between right and wrong. And the ‘bad guys’ on TV aren’t always held responsible or punished for their actions.”
While this quote speaks of violence on television in particular, the same concept can be applied to children viewing their favorite Disney Channel star getting arrested for drunk driving. They admire these stars and view them as the “good guys,” so seeing them doing illegal things could confuse these children about what is right and what is wrong.

With 1.9 million viewers, Disney Channel has a great deal of influence on people. The stars that come out of Disney are poor role models for children and can negatively impact their lives. Disney needs to focus more on promoting ethical behavior among its stars and on its shows in order to positively influence young people.

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