|
|
Parenting
Children
and TV Violence
 Dacoit
Gabbar Singh's famous dialogue from the blockbuster movie 'Sholay'
is still a favorite party piece for children all over the country.
Indulgent parents and friends listen fondly, while toddlers swagger and
lisp the screen villain's menacing lines. It is cute and it is definitely
entertaining.
But is it harmless? What is the hidden
message?
That violence, when shown in a
slick, shocking manner becomes acceptable. That villains are people to
applaud and emulate. Such parents - and there are many - show a lack of
responsibility that they insist others should exercise.
During a seminar conducted by the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR)
on media violence and its impact on children in New Delhi at the end of
March 2002, the participants were vociferous in demanding restraint and
discipline from television networks like Zee, Star Plus and SABe.
Something they said they themselves were too busy to exercise in their own
homes.
That television and the violence, spooks and thrills it depicts have an
impact on children is an inescapable fact. In a five-city study conducted
by CFAR, it was found through focus group discussions that suspense and
violence are the most potent hooks for children in any type of media.
There is a vivid recall of horror and violence in television shows,
sometimes of episodes seen even three years back. Not surprising, in view
of the pervasiveness of violence in program: The study found that between
1998 and 2001, there were four acts of violence per minute – or one every
15 seconds – on various television channels.
The study also found that there is a compulsive fascination with the
supernatural and violence. "Once in my dream, I went to the toilet which
was full of skeletons. I shouted loudly, 'Help me, help me!'" said one of
the children interviewed for the study. Nightmares and phobias
notwithstanding, serials like 'Aahat' and 'Sssh, Koi Hai?'
have high TRPs (television rating points).
In Ahmedabad and Delhi, children displayed avid interest in real life
crimes and were found to have a deep knowledge of forensic sciences and
how criminals behave, contributing to a skewed set of values. Said one of
the children interviewed, "Dawood extracts money from everyone. No one is
able to catch him, and he and Chhota Rajan roam around freely. They are
able to bribe their way out of jail."
Another finding of the study was that children watch anything between two
to 10 hours of television a day, which includes all types of programs,
across channels and throughout the day up to 11.30 pm on weekdays and even
later on weekends. And increased television time means much less time to
go out and play, to read books or to meet friends. Children watch
television while doing other things and there are many houses where the
television set is on during every waking moment.
In the meeting in New Delhi, the participants ranged from media persons,
counselors and parents to even grandparents. Many points were raised,
including the fact that even cartoons are violent. A concerned grandfather
stood up to say that as parents could not stay with the children all the
time, there should be some restraint on what is transmitted on television.
Why are there no meaningful serials aimed at children? And why is the
choice restricted only to cartoons, movies or domestic drama, he asked.
Another participant said that even video games are hideously violent.
Reality-based television too came in for some bashing. Another parent said
that serials about ghosts were taking the children back to more
superstitious, backward times.
But the real fireworks erupted when questions were addressed to Mukesh
Khanna (a.k.a. Shaktimaan in the serial of the same name, and before that,
Bheeshma Pitamah in 'Mahabharat'), Proprietor, Bheeshma International. 'Shaktimaan'
has come in for a lot of flak because, inspired by the superhero's
exploits, children have jumped off buildings – some to their death. Khanna
at first categorically denied such reports but when people stood up and
reported first hand experiences, he vowed to repeat the warning
transmitted earlier.
Khanna spoke of the many good messages he has transmitted and that he took
his responsibility as a children's hero very seriously. Another
participant who works in a remand home agreed with Khanna and told the
participants how they had found that Shaktimaan had had a positive
influence on the inmates because they used the serial's social messages in
their discussions.
Markand Adhikari, the Chief Executive Officer of SABe TV raised another
important issue by putting the onus of what children watch directly on the
parents. Said he, "In my experience, good television programs do not get
good TRPs. Parents come to such seminars and meetings where they bemoan
the lack of good programs. But they simply do not watch the good
programs."
Moreover, as commercial organizations, commercial viability is the
yardstick of most television channels. Said Madhavi Mutatkar, President,
Zee TV, "I am a mother and also in the media. As a mother I would like
good programs and less violence on the screen but as the head of a
commercial organization, I have to look at my TRPs."
Despite protests from most of the parents present, Ahmedabad-based
psychiatrist Dr Vishwa Mohan Thakur also put the onus of control firmly on
the parents. Jobs and busy lives was no excuse, he said. "Parents have to
set rules and show by example. With active participation of the
caregivers, the negative aspect of media violence can be controlled.
Parents must know what programs their children are watching," said Thakur.
At another level, Deepak Sehgal, Creative Director, Star India Limited,
was of the view that parents have a problem with television programming
because these programs address issues which parents generally do not want
to discuss - like babies born to unmarried parents, non-marital
relationships and HIV-AIDS.
Another relevant point raised was how much television should be watched. A
child who regularly watches eight to 10 hours of television a day will
find it hard to separate fantasy from reality, some of the participants
observed. For instance, the perception of one child interviewed was:
"Ghosts exist. The ghost's spirit enters the body of good people."
If cutting television hours is
too harsh a step both for parents and children, there are other ways --
oust the television set from its position as the social centre, replace a
big screen television with a small one and set limits to how much
television the entire family can watch. Implement these points and then
see how much effect it has on the quality of a family's life.
– Teresa Barat
April 15, 2002
See Also : "Effects
of Television on Children"
Top |
Parenting
By arrangement with
Womens Feature Service
|
|
