Ulf Boëthius

Ulf Boëthius is a Swedish scholar of child and youth literature. His historical overview in this excerpt demonstrates how public concern has often condemned popular entertainment as a negative influence on young people. Since ancient Rome, societies have reached moments of heightened anxiety that focus on youth cultures and their perceived connection to moral decline, deviance, and criminality. Modern "moral panics" like these are often played out in the mass media where stereotypes abound and problems become exaggerated for their sensational appeal. Also typical is a rush of opinion from various experts claiming to know appropriate solutions, and, ultimately, some sort of social control may be imposed to "correct" the supposed problem. Moral panics often signal a boundary crisis over new ideas and traditional norms. Anxiety over rapid...