SOAP OPERAS: NARCOTIC ESCAPE FOR TEENS?

SOAP OPERAS: NARCOTIC ESCAPE FOR TEENS?

OSWEGO, N.Y. (Wireless Flash) -- For some teens, soap operas have become the TV equivalent of crack cocaine. That's according to Cristina Pieraccini, a communications professor at State University of New York, Oswego. Pieraccini says it's easy to spot soap opera addiction in teenagers. Here are some of the signs... -- The student reschedules classes to avoid missing his or her favorite soap operas. -- A soap opera addict talks about characters in the show as if they were real people. -- The teenager will often make decisions about personal problems based on what a soap opera character might do. Although teen soap addicts may have problems with their schoolwork or social life, the addiction may be the lesser of two evils. Studies show the more soaps a teen watches, the less likely it is he or she will use drugs or alcohol, because the shows act as a substitute for any chemical "high."

CONTACT: Cristina Pieraccini, ****; Oswego, NY; (315) 341-3523