Between the media and educational system, teens only know what they are taught and exposed to. It becomes hard to form personal opinions when these systems emphasize one-sided viewpoints. The indoctrination can start at the earliest of ages. Kids often adopt the views they are taught about, from morals to political alignment. Indoctrination in education has turned into a major national concern.

One-sided teaching can be harmful to some people. It only gives a person exposure to one view so they have no option on how to weigh different perspectives.

           According to an article published by The Federalist, “How public schools indoctrinate kids without anyone noticing” (October 26, 2018)  by Auguste Meyrat, “Indoctrination happens through many channels, entertainment, speeches, and censorship, but its main instrument is the school system.”

          In many schools and universities, some teachers and professors openly indoctrinate kids by giving opinions on political topics or bashing certain ideas. Other ways kids are brainwashed is when certain ideas are displayed on plaques, messages and boards on walls that kids look at daily. Even the pledge of allegiance to the flag uses lines and messages to subject kids to religious propaganda (under God). All of these are designed to tell students what to think.

Educators push religion on their students at times via messages through books. Concepts, like abstinence, are pushed on children with no other options. Schools are supposed to educate students so that they can form their own opinions.

According to an article published by The Free Lance-Star, “Media censorship is indoctrination,” (November 5, 2020) by Susan Wheimer, “The media dictates what news is disclosed to the public and only shows news that fits into their political agenda.”

Media is very accessible these days and anyone can portray an idea in the media. Facebook, Instagram and even most news outlets have a biased agenda pushing through when talking about controversial topics. Individuals, especially teens, often get their news from social media sites by influencers posting the content. This means that more often than not people are hearing only one side of an issue and are force-fed that option. 

Indoctrination in the media can be harmful to development and it makes it hard to form opinions on life situations. This can cause someone to be indecisive and misinformed. It is important that young, easily-influenced children are able to learn about all viewpoints to form their own well-informed opinions.