Study Links Rock Music To Teen Delinquency
Prepare to be riled by the ridiculous findings
A highly controversial study claims that kids who listen to “unconventional music” like rock and metal are more likely to engage in delinquent activity **in their later teens. **
Published in the American journal Pediatrics this month, the study entitled Early Adolescent Music Preferences and Minor Delinquency analysed the behaviour of 309 12-year-old children (149 boys and 160 girls) from the Netherlands over a four-year period.
It ‘found’ that kids who love metal, rock, techno and hip-hop aged 12 are more likely to commit minor crimes (vandalism, shoplifting and fighting) later in their teens than those who like pop and supposedly “highbrow music” such as classic and jazz. Errrr… right.
The dubious study reads:
The results showed that early fans of different types of rock, African American music and electronic dance music showed elevated minor delinquency concurrently and longitudinally. Preferring conventional pop or highbrow music, in contrast, was not related to or was negatively related to minor delinquency.
Early music preferences emerged as more powerful indicators of later delinquency than early delinquency, indicating that music choice is a strong marker of later problem behavior.
Dr. Tom ter Bogt of Utrecht University in the Netherlands told the Toronto Star he was surprised by the results: “We were stunned ourselves. We checked it over and over again.”
He continued to the Canadian newspaper: “What we believe happens if you have this taste for rebellious music, noisy music, it brings you in contact with other kids with the same type of music taste and you are contaminated by the behaviour in that group.
“If you listen to classical music or jazz, overall these kids tend to behave far less dramatically.
“I would suggest to parents if your 12-year-old child listens to very, very noisy music, rebellious music, be aware of what kinds of friends he or she brings to the house.”
The doctors behind the investigation will continue to follow their subjects into later life.
You can read the full study right here and rubbish it in the comments section below.