HOST: We have with us today a sociologist and educator, Mark Lashley. He will tell us about teenagers’ role models. Mark, most of us had posters of famous activists, actors or sportsmen over our beds when we were teenagers. I worshipped Nelson Mandela and Diego Maradona. Has anything changed in that department?

MARK: [laughs] Maradona is old‑news of course, but sportsmen are still held in high regard. Social and political activists are much less popular though. Kids don’t watch the news enough to get as involved as we used to be. They do follow sports, on the other hand, so sportsmen are huge role models for many reasons. Their financial success is something kids admire and dream of. Also, unlike before, their private achievements and failures are as much a source of inspiration as their professional success these days.

HOST: OK then, where else do they look?

MARK: Into the medium that is the most natural to them - the internet. That means both social media and video channels.

HOST: So, celebrities?

MARK: Not as often as you’d expect but yes. Let’s just be clear – today’s celebrities, unlike before, are often just famous for being famous. There’s no requirement to achieve anything first. That, unfortunately, often means there’s nothing admirable about their intellectual level or system of values. Worse, they often represent harmful attitudes and behaviours, such as obsessive dieting, cosmetic surgeries and the like. Though of course others send positive messages about accepting oneself. These are great role‑models.

HOST: I believe many singers, like Rihanna, promote accepting yourself and others.

MARK: They do. Yet while many teenagers admire them, these people feel out of reach for them. So, they found other role models they could identify with – streamers and influencers on popular social media and video channels. These are regular people, often teenagers themselves, which is most likely their greatest advantage. They do everything from talking about themselves, to taking challenges, to commenting on events important to them. One guy has over 100M subscribers…

HOST: Million?

MARK: Yes. He’s been around for a long time though. But the popular ones are followed by millions – you can’t ignore that. Kids feel these are real people like themselves; people who become like their friends and advisors they look up to. It’s very important for parents to be aware of that. Parents can’t look down on these people and say “don’t watch them.” They need to ask what’s in it for the kids and guide them through what’s worth their time and attention and what isn’t.