Teen mags hold appeal

What do teens think of this reading material? Do the articles address actual issues in teens' lives? Do young people read them at all?

The Evangelist got some answers from public school students who are members of Christ the King parish in Westmere:

* Katie Steinman: "I subscribe to the monthly magazine J14 because it features teen bands, music and information on the band members. I play the flute, and this interests me. Yes, I do read the articles. They are mostly about the members in the bands, and I like to learn about their personal lives, how the groups were formed, where the members live and what their lives were like before they began singing. My favorite bands are N'Sync and The Back Street Boys."

* Ben Henderson: "I have been subscribing to Sports Illustrated for Kids for the past two years. I like to look at baseball cards and the pictures because I'm a big sports fan. I read the articles sometimes when I'm bored, but mostly I like the other features in the magazine such as the captions that kids write for the athletic pictures, the monthly calendar that shows what sports figure is having a birthday during that month etc. There always is a mystery athlete of the month, and there are usually clues in the story. You have to figure out who the athlete is by reading the article. Since I play both baseball and basketball, the magazine is very interesting to me."

* Christie Allan: "Seventeen Magazine is my all-time favorite. Although I don't subscribe to it, I usually buy it every month. It has good articles on the movie stars, singers like Britney Spears and groups like N'Sync. Justin Timberlake is my favorite singer from that group. I read the horoscopes and all the features. I also read Teen Vogue, which is a newer magazine. Both magazines have a lot of fashion in them. Although I would never wear what the models wear, it's nice to see what is new and what's in style. Both magazines have too many ads.

"Teens like to be filled in on what is going on in the movie star world, with music and on TV. If you go to school and do not know what's up, you can feel left out of the circle. That's why I read the magazines. Also, Vogue will cover issues, like modeling, from a different point of view than Seventeen does. Vogue tells it realistically by reporting about things like anorexia connected with modeling, while Seventeen will just report about how much fun it is to be a model. I like them both."

* Tim Henderson: "I read Rolling Stone, but I don't subscribe to it. I usually look at the cover when it's in the store and decide if there is anything interesting in a particular issue. If something catches my eye, I'll buy it. I am interested in acting, so actors and their roles are what I look for, as well as what the new movies are and who are the popular musicians. My favorite singer is Eminem.

"I also read Sports Illustrated for Kids once in a while because I am an umpire for the Pine Bush baseball league. I occasionally read Electronic Gaming Magazine too, which features new video games on the market. The writers usually test the games and then report on them. It has lots of articles on videos, gaming etc. It's very interesting."

* Kristen O'Connor: "I have subscribed to Teen People for two years, since they began publishing it. There is lots of talk today about how teens don't help out, or how they do bad things. This magazine focuses on the good things teens do and how they help people. An example is the shootings at Columbine High School [in Colorado]. One of the issues had articles on how families were coping with that tragedy and how one kid helped others. I think this magazine helps you to open your eyes to what's going on in the world.

"The magazine usually highlights some specific school and what's going on there. They usually write about the good things teens are doing in that school each month.

"It seems that teens are always being judged on what we do by older people. This magazine shows that there are many good teens out there and they are doing good things for their communities.

"The magazine also has some fashion and I like that, too. There are some issues that are devoted to really hot stars; my favorite is Justin Timberlake from the band N'Sync."

(11-09-00) [[In-content Ad]]