Should the popular HBO show "Euphoria" be cancelled because of its glamorization of drugs, sex, alcohol and abuse?

HBO’s “Euphoria” is known for its strong themes dealing with sex,drugs,alcohol and violence. Parents and even teens watching the show find the show “disturbing” and “heavy”. This raised the questions for critics if the show should be canceled due to the alleged “glamorization” of its adult themes. According to a survey taken from 25 teens,less than half agreed that the show should be canceled. Although some teens claimed that the show portrayed the good and bad so there wasn’t any glamorization, there's still many teens and parents that think the show should have some form of censorship. “Euphoria” should not be canceled for its alleged “glamourization” because it is portraying some teens' realities and isn’t purposely trying to influence children and teens lifestyles,somewhat follows television censorship rules,and warns its young viewers of what the show portrays. Instead,I believe the show should add some censorship and exclude scenes that have nothing to do with the plot or progress the story.

To begin,”Euphoria” is a show that portrays sex,drugs,alcohol and abuse. The show doesn’t glamourize it. The writers make sure to paint a picture that shows negative, as well as what some people would claim is “good”. “Euphoria” isn’t to blame for teens choosing that type of lifestyle. Adolescent minds are highly molded to what they see on television and in the media,but “Euphoria” should not be blamed for this change in young teens behavior. According to The National Library of Medicine,”The influence of the media on the psychosocial development of children is profound. Thus, it is important for physicians to discuss with parents their child’s exposure to media and to provide guidance on age-appropriate use of all media, including television, radio, music, video games and the Internet.” (Impact of media use on children) This example explains that parents should be responsible for their children’s media exposure,not the media. “Euphoria” isn’t responsible for the newly developed habits of their adolescent viewers,who have been given countless content warnings for the show. The National Library of Medicine also claims “An individual child’s developmental level is a critical factor in determining whether the medium will have positive or negative effects.”(Impact of media use on children) Based on this claim,whether the show has a positive or negative effect on adolescent brains is based on the child’s development level,not on “Euphoria’s” content.

Continuing with the topic of “Euphoria’s” content, the show has become the topic of many conversations due to its extreme themes and has even begged the question from many ,like myself, whether or not it should be canceled for alleged violations of television censorship. Many would be surprised to hear that the show doesn’t technically violate any television censorship rules.Rodney Buxton explains,”While censorship has often been constructed against the explicit backdrop of morality, it has been implicitly based on assumptions about the identity and composition of the audience for American broadcast television at particular points in time.” American broadcasting was always on the conservative side for years due to fear of offending its viewers. Censorship was based on what was thought to be offensive ,such as couples sleeping in the same bed and toilets flushing. As stated by Richard Worringham, “To counter conservative criticism and government censorship, producers and the networks have agreed to begin a ratings system which could be electronically monitored and blocked in the home. Thus, parents could effectively censor programming which they found unsuitable for their children while still allowing the networks to air adult-oriented programming.” This is the way television censorship should be handled. Media censorship and control should be handled by parents because as parents,they know what they’d like to expose their kids to. That way when parents with less restrictive media control learns their child is watching such a shocking show such as “Euphoria”,they can’t be shocked or upset with the show since they were put in control of their child’s censorship. To connect these ideas,censorship is based on what is thought to be offensive by certain people and if certain parents find “Euphoria” to be too explicit and offensive,it’s up to them to protect their children from it.

Finally, “ Euphoria” actors and fans warn people that are considering watching the show that there are explicit themes that could trigger or offend them and that if they’re sensitive to steer clear. Zendaya, who plays Rue Bennet in the show, even put out a statement saying “I know I’ve said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that “Euphoria” is for mature audiences. This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch. Please only watch it if you feel comfortable. Take care of yourself and know that either way you are still loved and I can still feel your support. All my love, Daya.” Based on one of the show’s actresses putting out a statement like this, the show’s team knows how heavy its topics are and they mean no harm by it. Another statement similar to Zendaya’s was made by a fan of the show. A 13 year old fan of the show, who goes by the name “z0ra_b0ra” on common sense media, stated “Euphoria” is an incredible show, if you’re mature enough for it. I was way too young to watch it and I shouldn’t have so if you’re my age I’d say go watch something else. it shows full nudity, practically pornography, blatant use of drugs, alcohol, and smoking. it’s an incredible show and if you’re older I’d suggest you watch it, but if you’re young, steer clear of it and keep your youth.”. A warning like this coming from someone a young teens age might actually convince a teen about their choice to watch the show. Kids are more likely to listen to their peers rather than adults when it comes to inappropriate content.

In conclusion,”Euphoria” shouldn’t be canceled due to its alleged “glamorization”.Even though the show is targeted towards older teens and adults, the show isn’t entirely made exclusive to that age group.Never the less,censorship should be left to the parents. “Euphoria” makes it a point to warn its younger viewers of its content and doesn’t just show what is believed to be the “good” part of what drugs sex and violence. The writers make sure to portray the negative effects as well. Instead,I believe the show should add some stronger warnings and exclude scenes that have nothing to do with the plot or progress the story.The show could go without a lot of its sex and drug scenes.

Work Cited

“Impact of Media use on Children and Youth.” National Library of Medicine,2005,https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792691/,Accessed 3-10-22

Buxton,Rodney and Worringham,Richard. “Censorship and Standard Practices” Television Academy Foundation,1997,https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/topics/censorship-standards-practices ,Accessed 3-10-22

Coleman,Zendaya. “Parents Guide to Euphoria on HBO Max Seasons 1 and 2”. Lola Lamb Chops,2-22-22,https://lolalambchops.com/euphoria-kid-friendly-parents-guide/ ,Accessed 3-10-22

z0ra_b0ra.”Kids Reviews for “Euphoria””.Common Sense Media,3-6-22,https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/euphoria/user-reviews/child ,Accessed 3-9-22