Don’t let the idiotbox make a fool of your child

With violence dominating the small screen, parents are concerned over the influence of such shows on impressionable minds. But withthe channels not thinking twiceabout splashing graphic images and gory pictures on the screen, many believe that the violent content should be reduced so that the children don’t behave aggressively. Experts and parents tell DNA. Since kids have a naturaltendency to imitate, theyre-enact the violence on TV TV not only serves as a medium of entertainment, but also knowledge. Unfortunately,the various shows on TV send out a plethora of messages about what is right and wrong. A decade ago, our society was against depiction of violence of any form, but today it has become more acceptable. While TV programmes give messages on both positive and negativeaspects, children tend to pick up the negative parts more easily. Children tend to imitate whatever they see. So, they re-enact what they see on TV. Since children have easy access to TV nowadays, it is important that parents guide their children on what is right and what is wrong. I feel that interaction between parents and children is becoming lesser every day, as parents nowadays are busier with their professional lives and have less time for kids. —Dr Bhaskar Shejwal, HoD, Psychology Department, UoP Timid and anxious minds are more likely to be affected by the violent content on TV A child can differentiate between violence shown as entertainment (like in cartoons) and what happens in reality. What is more dangerous is real-life violence.It is also important to know if the child is surrounded by a violent atmosphere at home. If a child is timid and anxious by nature, s / he will get scared and more anxious after watching violence on TV. So factors like, intensity of the violence, the atmosphere around the child and the kid’s temperament, play a collectiverole on how violence on TV will affect the child. The ideal time limit for children to watch TV should not exceed 1.5 hours on weekdays and 2.5 hours on weekends. This screen time should include TV,computer and games. At the same time any form of verbal or physical violence in the family must be curtailed because violence begets violence. —Dr Bhooshan Shukla, Child Psychiatrist Article continues below the advertisement... These 24-hour cartoon channels are disturbing the children’s day-to-daylife Television is a very powerful medium and can have a great influence on a child’s mind depending on what programmes he watches and how much time he spends in front of the idiot box. With so many channels to browse through, nowadays a child canfind something of interest at any given time. And these 24-hour cartoon channels aredisturbing a child’s day-to-day life. I agree that it is the responsibility of the parents to keep tabs on their child’s TV viewing habits, but there is a limit to that too. Especially, infamilies where both parents are working, it becomes an impossible task. I think the government must step in and regulate the content on TV channels.