After Justin Bieber was arrested in Miami Beach on Jan. 23, fans of the troublesome pop star were quick to defend him. The “Beliebers” want to believe that the media is wrongfully scrutinizing all of Bieber’s actions in an attempt to make him appear to be something other than a “normal teenage boy.”

But normal teenage boys don’t get arrested for driving under the influence, throw eggs at their neighbors’ houses until the police intervene, and pee in mop buckets in restaurant kitchens. The reality is Bieber is progressively moving down a path of self-destruction. And all of his fans, including the children who look up to him, are witnessing it.

Unfortunately, Bieber’s behavior isn’t a surprise. More and more celebrities and popular figures are proving to be terrible role models for their adoring fan bases. These people receive huge amounts of money and attention from society and lose their responsibility because of it.

Besides Bieber, perhaps the best example of this type of person is Miley Cyrus. The pop star who was once the teenage sensation “Hannah Montana” has repeatedly promoted drug use and danced around half-naked on a stage. What seems apparent in Cyrus’ case is that she wants attention.

And perhaps the reason this has become such a problem is because the public constantly gives these celebrities the attention they desire. Whenever Bieber abuses his fans or Cyrus decides to twerk it out on national television, the media is there to inform the public. And that includes all the kids who adore them.

The best method for solving this problem is to realize that misbehaving celebrities are not a staple in our society. If we stop giving attention to these celebrities, the children of our country will not be exposed to their antics. Only when that happens will the problem of bad role models truly be solved.

But in reality, people will always pay attention to those who break the rules. It’s simply a matter of human interest. And they will still wonder why these people have such an impact on our society.

A person’s moral code starts with their home life. Parents shape their children’s behavior and help determine who their child is going to be. That means letting them know if they do something wrong and punishing them for it. A parent’s guidance is far more powerful than the actions of any popular figure.

But providing a child with guidance doesn’t mean just slapping them on the wrist every time they do some wrong. To really help their children, parents need to set a good example themselves and show them how they should act.

And one of the best ways to do this is to introduce their children to celebrities who are well-behaved. Instead of focusing on troublemakers like Bieber and Cyrus, we should focus on people who set good examples. Perhaps the best example of this type of person is Russell Wilson. Wilson has taken up the “good boy” image and is quick to flaunt it in his interviews.

Instead of advocating drug use like Cyrus, he encourages his fans to work to better themselves. However, in the grand scheme of things, children probably shouldn’t idolize celebrities at all.

While there are the good eggs like Wilson, an alarming amount of celebrities act the exact opposite way that we teach our children. The risk of exposing a child to elicit activities is far greater than the reward of giving them a good example.

But keeping celebrities from becoming role models doesn’t mean completely ignoring their work or rejecting their existence. It simply means informing children that a person’s talent doesn’t necessarily make them a good person. A child can listen to Miley Cyrus’ music as long as they understand that her personal life isn’t exactly exemplary.

While the public may never be able to give up its need for misbehaving celebrities, there are certainly ways for parents to prevent their children from losing their moral standing. Bad role models are certainly a problem in our society, but sometimes we need to take responsibility.