Is Reality TV Turning Teenage Girls Into Terrible People?

Sure, it's fun to watch the antics of Snooki and Deena on "Jersey Shore" or to hear a catty, annoying contestant like Elise on this year's "Hell's Kitchen" say "I'm not here to make friends" for the 500th time, but would you want your kids acting that way?

A new study from the Girl Scout Research Institute polled more than 1,100 American girls aged 11 through 17, with the goal of detemining how watching reality TV changes the attitudes, outlook and self-worth of often-impressionable young girls. The differences between girls who watched reality TV and girls who didn't were a bit unsettling.

Perhaps the biggest gap between the two groups was in questioning whether gossiping was a normal part of friendships between girls. Nearly 80% of those who watch reality TV regularly said yes, while only 54% of those who don't agreed.

Another question asked whether it's "in girls' nature to be catty and competitive with each other." Almost 70% of reality TV watchers said yes, as compared to 50% of non-watchers.

Even worse, 37% of reality TV watchers said that "you have to lie to get what you want," as compared to 24% of non-watchers.

However, the study also returned some positive findings. Girls who watch reality TV are more likely to be confident, see themselves as leaders, and think that they "can achieve anything in life." Hopefully the "achievements" they have in mind for that last one isn't being on a reality TV show.

Of course there are some reality shows that do good. Even junk like "Celebrity Apprentice" still has its contestants attempting to earn money for charities, and that raises awareness about a number of issues that young girls and people in general might not know about.

But in the current landscape, it seems that for every one of those shows that provides a positive message, there are at least three shows like "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" or "Jersey Shore" that teach very little in terms of good behavior or real self-worth. The last episode of "Jersey Shore" saw Snooki and Deena drinking from the middle of the afternoon into the night, staying up through the morning, going out to breakfast and drinking more, falling asleep at their table, then stumbling home.

So basically, stop watching reality TV. Okay, okay, I know that's not fair. I watch "Jersey Shore" too. But remember, every time you watch reality TV a puppy dies. Fine, I made that up. Just... watch what your daughters watch, and ask yourself if they're learning the right behavior from it. You'll thank yourself later, when they're not showing off their "cookah" in a club like Snooki.