Every year when universities enroll new students, there are always some who stand apart from the average - the youngest, the oldest, the ones who have acquired some social fame before being enrolled, and so on. As one would expect, they are the most favored objects of media coverage of campus life.

The media seem to be particularly interested in the amorous aspects of their lives, when interviewing these new students. For instance, when reporting about a young female writer who was enrolled by Tsinghua University, most media outlets splashed the headlines: "Pretty Lass Writer Enrolled in Tsinghua, Saying Would Be Dating Someone."

Jiang Fangzhou, 19, from Hubei province, is famous for having published a number of novels before being enrolled at China's most prestigious university. Reporting of such a young genius should have focused on her intelligence and diligence. But the media obviously are more concerned about her attitude toward love affairs.

Opponents of pedantic moralists may argue that it is only too natural to ask a university student about her possible dating. Yes, I admit the argument is right. But the point is: why highlight this aspect of the matter? If it is normal to show concern for a 19-year-old's love affairs, then what about a 14-year-old girl?

Just a few days after splashing the sensational headlines, the same Beijing-based newspaper interviewed a 14-year-old girl who was enrolled by the University of International Business and Economy. Among a number of questions thrown to the talented girl, one was her attitude toward dating. The girl answered: "It is normal for an 18-year-old but I'm only 14. I will think of it when I am 18."

When publishing the story, the newspaper highlighted the bits on dating in both the sub-headlines and in the text. So did most Internet websites which carried the report.

My question is: Is it necessary, and proper, for the reporter to ask an underage girl such a question? And why did the media outlets accentuate this part of the interview while there were so many other questions the readers may be more interested in about the child prodigy?

The answer is apparent: To attract more readers and increase the hit rates, newspapers and websites go for headlines involving romance and sex. It is understandable for media outlets to try to draw as much attention as possible, but it is too much, and disgusting, for them to cast their lascivious eyes at a 14-year-old girl.

I am not wronging them by singling out these two examples. I can give another example. Again a new recruit of Tsinghua University, 25-year-old Li Jun had made eight attempts at passing the annual national college entrance examination before finally making it into Tsinghua. The aforementioned Beijing newspaper also interviewed Li but did not say a single word about the new student's romance or marriage, though twenty-five is the prime age for such a topic. The reason is simple: Li is a he, not a she.

Nowadays, there is too much information about sex hitting our eyes and ears. Its influence on children is disastrous, because they are not in the least insulated from it. A recent survey conducted in Foshan, Guangdong province found that the youngest child who had had sex was 12 years old and 34.5 percent of senior high school students had "intimate boy/girl friends." Teenage pregnancy has become something that people do not fuss about.

Media should reflect on their role in adding fuel to such an unhealthy tendency.

E-mail: liushinan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/17/2008 page8)