Introduction
In an age of pervasive media and constant connectivity, celebrities exert an unprecedented influence on the attitudes, aspirations, and behaviours of young people. From social media endorsements to lifestyle choices, the actions and statements of public figures are amplified across platforms and consumed by millions of impressionable followers. This essay argues that celebrities should, to a significant extent, be held responsible for their influence on young people, as their outsized platform carries a corresponding duty of care.
Celebrities have a responsibility to be mindful of their influence because young people are particularly susceptible to emulating public figures they admire.
Explain
Developmental psychology research consistently demonstrates that adolescents and young adults are in a formative stage of identity construction, during which they are especially influenced by role models. Celebrities, by virtue of their visibility and perceived desirability, function as powerful role models whose behaviour, values, and lifestyle choices are absorbed and emulated by young audiences. This psychological susceptibility means that celebrity influence is not merely incidental but deeply formative.
Example
Research published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that celebrity endorsements significantly influence the purchasing decisions and brand preferences of teenagers, who are more likely than adults to associate a product's desirability with the celebrity endorsing it. In Singapore, the popularity of local social media influencers such as Jianhao Tan and Naomi Neo among teenagers has led to documented cases of young followers emulating their fashion choices, dietary habits, and lifestyle aspirations, including some that promote materialism and unrealistic body standards. The National Youth Council's 2020 survey found that 64% of Singaporean youth aged 15 to 24 identified social media personalities as significant influences on their attitudes and aspirations.
Link
This demonstrates that celebrity influence on young people is not trivial but psychologically potent, supporting the argument that celebrities bear a meaningful responsibility for the messages they project.
Celebrities who profit from their influence on young audiences have a corresponding commercial and ethical duty to exercise that influence responsibly.
Explain
Many celebrities derive substantial income from endorsements, sponsorship deals, and social media partnerships that are specifically targeted at young demographics. When celebrities monetise their influence over young audiences, they enter into a commercial relationship that carries ethical obligations. It is inconsistent to profit from one's influence on young people while disclaiming any responsibility for the effects of that influence.
Example
In 2022, Kim Kardashian was fined US$1.26 million by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for promoting a cryptocurrency token on Instagram without disclosing that she was paid US$250,000 for the endorsement. Many of her followers, including young investors, suffered financial losses after the token's value collapsed. In Singapore, IMDA's Code of Practice for Online Curators and the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore's guidelines require influencers to disclose paid partnerships, reflecting an acknowledgement that celebrities who profit from influencing young consumers have obligations of transparency and honesty.
Link
This illustrates that the commercial exploitation of celebrity influence creates a corresponding duty of care, and that regulatory frameworks increasingly recognise the need to hold celebrities accountable for the impact of their endorsements on young audiences.
Celebrities who promote harmful behaviours, such as substance abuse, extreme dieting, or irresponsible risk-taking, should be held accountable for the real-world consequences on impressionable youth.
Explain
When celebrities publicly engage in or glamorise harmful behaviours, the consequences for young followers can be severe and measurable. The normalisation of substance abuse, eating disorders, reckless behaviour, and mental health stigma by high-profile public figures has been linked to increased rates of these problems among young people. Given the scale of their reach, celebrities who promote harmful behaviours contribute to public health concerns that extend far beyond individual choice.
Example
Studies have documented the 'Kylie Jenner effect,' whereby the celebrity's promotion of lip fillers and cosmetic procedures on social media coincided with a measurable increase in demand for such procedures among teenagers, according to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. In Singapore, the Health Promotion Board has expressed concern about the influence of social media celebrities who promote fad diets and extreme fitness regimes on the eating behaviours of young Singaporeans, with the Singapore General Hospital reporting a rise in eating disorder presentations among adolescents in the years following the growth of Instagram fitness culture.
Link
This demonstrates that the harmful influence of celebrities on young people is not merely theoretical but has tangible health consequences, strengthening the case for holding public figures accountable for the behaviours they model and promote.
Counter-Argument
Critics of celebrity responsibility argue that parents, educators, and families bear the primary responsibility for guiding young people, and that attributing excessive influence to celebrities diminishes the role of these primary institutions. Research by Singapore's National Institute of Education found that parental engagement and school culture are far stronger predictors of adolescent behaviour than media exposure.
Rebuttal
However, the scale and intimacy of modern celebrity influence, delivered directly to young people's phones through social media, has fundamentally altered the balance of influence. The National Youth Council's 2020 survey found that 64 per cent of Singaporean youth identified social media personalities as significant influences on their attitudes, and Kim Kardashian's undisclosed crypto endorsement caused real financial losses to young followers. When celebrities actively monetise their influence on impressionable audiences, they cannot credibly disclaim all responsibility for its effects.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the immense reach and influence of celebrities in the modern media landscape confers upon them a meaningful degree of responsibility for their impact on young people. Given that their words and actions are amplified to millions and that young audiences are particularly susceptible to emulation, it is reasonable and necessary to hold celebrities to a higher standard of conduct. While they are not solely responsible for youth outcomes, their influence is too significant to be dismissed as inconsequential.
Introduction
While celebrities undoubtedly occupy a prominent place in the lives of young people, attributing responsibility for youth behaviour to public figures risks oversimplifying the complex dynamics of socialisation and personal development. Young people are shaped by a wide array of influences, including family, education, peer groups, and personal agency, and it is neither fair nor practical to burden celebrities with accountability for the choices of their audiences. This essay contends that the responsibility attributed to celebrities for their influence on young people should be limited.
Parents, educators, and families bear the primary responsibility for guiding young people, and it is unfair to transfer this burden to celebrities.
Explain
The socialisation of young people is fundamentally the domain of families, schools, and communities, which provide the foundational values, critical thinking skills, and emotional support that shape character and decision-making. Attributing excessive responsibility to celebrities for youth behaviour implicitly diminishes the role of these primary institutions and risks creating a culture in which parents and educators abdicate their own duties by pointing to external influences.
Example
Singapore's Ministry of Education places strong emphasis on character and citizenship education, with programmes designed to help students develop critical thinking, media literacy, and personal responsibility. The assumption underlying these programmes is that young people can and should be equipped to evaluate media messages independently rather than being shielded from celebrity influence. Research by the National Institute of Education has found that parental engagement and school culture are far stronger predictors of adolescent behaviour and attitudes than media exposure, suggesting that the family and school environment remain the primary arenas of youth development.
Link
This suggests that holding celebrities primarily responsible for their influence on young people misidentifies the most significant determinants of youth behaviour and risks distracting from the more direct responsibilities of parents and educators.
Holding celebrities responsible for the behaviour of young people unfairly restricts their freedom of expression and imposes an unrealistic standard of conduct.
Explain
Celebrities are individuals with their own right to express themselves, make personal choices, and live authentically. Imposing a duty of responsibility for the behaviour of young followers effectively demands that celebrities curate every aspect of their public persona to serve as a role model, which is an unreasonable and potentially hypocritical standard. Such expectations can stifle artistic expression, authentic communication, and the very individuality that makes celebrities influential in the first place.
Example
When Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun expressed personal views on social issues through her social media platforms, she faced criticism from some quarters for potentially influencing young fans on politically sensitive topics. Yet the expectation that public figures should self-censor to avoid influencing the young is in tension with the broader societal value placed on freedom of expression. Internationally, artists such as Billie Eilish and Tyler, the Creator have pushed back against expectations that they sanitise their art and public personas for young audiences, arguing that authenticity is a more valuable quality than performative wholesomeness.
Link
This illustrates that imposing responsibility on celebrities for youth influence risks suppressing genuine expression and creating an unreasonable expectation of moral perfection that we would not impose on ordinary citizens.
Young people possess greater media literacy and critical agency than the 'celebrity influence' narrative assumes, and are capable of making independent judgements.
Explain
The argument for celebrity responsibility often rests on the assumption that young people are passive, uncritical consumers of celebrity content. However, contemporary research increasingly recognises that young people are active and discerning media consumers who engage with celebrity culture critically, selectively adopting some influences while rejecting others. The rise of media literacy education and digital nativism means that today's youth are better equipped than any previous generation to navigate the complexities of celebrity influence.
Example
A 2023 study by the Oxford Internet Institute found that teenagers are significantly more sceptical of influencer-sponsored content than older demographics, with 68% of respondents aged 13 to 17 reporting that they recognise and discount paid promotions on social media. In Singapore, the inclusion of media literacy modules in the secondary school curriculum under the Ministry of Education's Cyber Wellness programme has contributed to a generation of students who are trained to critically evaluate online content. The prevalence of meme culture and satirical commentary among young Singaporeans on platforms like TikTok and Reddit further demonstrates their capacity for critical engagement with celebrity culture rather than passive emulation.
Link
This evidence challenges the paternalistic assumption that young people are helplessly swayed by celebrity influence, and supports the view that their agency should be recognised rather than dismissed when determining the extent of celebrity responsibility.
Counter-Argument
Proponents of celebrity responsibility argue that public figures who profit from endorsements targeting young demographics have a clear commercial and ethical duty of care. The measurable 'Kylie Jenner effect' on teenage demand for cosmetic procedures and Singapore's Health Promotion Board's concern about influencers promoting fad diets demonstrate that celebrity influence has tangible health consequences for impressionable youth.
Rebuttal
Yet imposing a duty of responsibility effectively demands that celebrities curate every aspect of their public persona, which is an unreasonable restriction on personal expression that we would not impose on ordinary citizens. A 2023 Oxford Internet Institute study found that teenagers are significantly more sceptical of influencer-sponsored content than older demographics, with 68 per cent recognising and discounting paid promotions. Singapore's Cyber Wellness curriculum is training a generation of media-literate students capable of critical engagement rather than passive emulation, making paternalistic restrictions on celebrity expression increasingly unnecessary.
Conclusion
Ultimately, while celebrities can and do influence young people, the extent of their responsibility should be tempered by a recognition of the many other factors that shape youth development. Over-attributing influence to celebrities absolves other institutions of their more direct responsibilities and underestimates the capacity of young people to think critically about the media they consume. A balanced approach would encourage responsible celebrity conduct without imposing unrealistic expectations of accountability.