Mentor: Catherine Grimm, Ph.D.

The 21st century has been defined by major advancements in technology with the invention and popularization of cell phones, social media, and various online communication styles. This has effectively transformed modern society but has left questions about the impact of these technologies on adolescents' self-image, peer interactions, and their influence on risk-taking behaviors. As screen time continues to rise worldwide, the implications for mental health and behavior are significant. This paper aims to investigate how increasing exposure of media, such as film, on German adolescents influences risk-taking behavior, focusing, particularly, on the representation of smoking in German film. Using the films and series such as Tschick, Babylon Berlin, and Die Ehe der Maria Braun as case studies, this study analyzes how smoking depicted in various contexts in film has the potential to shape adolescents’ attitudes toward health risks like tobacco use. By comparing statistics and cultural attitudes toward health in the United States and Germany, this paper also takes into account how two different healthcare systems and societal values might influence media consumption behavior. This study argues that characteristics of adolescence such as emotional reactivity and risk-taking behaviors, combined with the persuasive nature of media, peer pressure and social influence that is typical of adolescence, amplifies the likelihood of young people to adopt similar behaviors as demonstrated by their favorite media figures. This study underscores the need for more research into how risk-taking behavior demonstrated in media, like film and television, can shape health behaviors of adolescents'. This study also calls for awareness of the potential consequences of excessive screen time and its associated risks.

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