A school of thought holds that external factors like media, pop culture and friends are main children's affecting elements while the alternative stance asserts that family plays the most remarkable one. The purpose of this essay is to discuss both sides of this contentious argument and then explain why I agree with the latter one.
On the one hand, proponents of the first view tend to point out a combination of reasons. First and foremost, technology and entertainment nowadays are developing faster than ever, resulting in easier access for both adults and children. To illustrate, the average time of surfing the Internet at the age of 10 is four hours per day, which is considered to be extremely high and unhealthy. Uncontrollable information sources from the media can also result in improper beliefs, harmful impacts or even depressions. Another compelling reason is that children tend to copy the behaviour of their favourite idols or fictional characters. Moreover, when little ones work and play in groups, they are influenced by their personality's peers. Therefore, it is understandable for children to be easily attracted by external factors in such a socialized world nowadays.
On the other hand, I advocate those who believe that family plays the chief factor in their children's growing processes. The primary reason is that in most of our childhood, parents are the one whom we spend most time interacting with. A good example is that scientists have proved that children, especially at the age of 3 and continuing throughout his or her teenages will mirror their parents' behaviours, reflecting both negative and positive sides unconsciously. Furthermore, it is clear that many people are forced to follow family's rules and to meet their parent's expectations which results in a formed, planned awareness. To illustrate, as family is the very first factor, parents can lead and impact on their children's manners for years after, therefore influence their children's decisions in choosing kinds of music, friends, relationships,...
In conclusion, I believe that both sides are justifiable. However, although pop culture, media and friends have a huge impact on youngsters, it is undebatable that family still plays the most important role in children's life.