Don’t let the idiot box 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 with the channels not thinking twice about 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 natural tendency to imitate, they re-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 negative aspects, 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 collective role 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

Parents should teach kids to form individual opinions at a young age
If a child, in his early years, has received positive strokes and has developed a good value system, it becomes easier for him to differentiate between good and bad. But if a child, who is surrounded by critical parents or extremely strict teachers, watches serials and movies that glorify violence and make it look heroic; it can influence him negatively. He tends to accept violence as a part of his life. When children are faced with such negativity in life as well as on screen, they start believing that it is the only way to survive. The solution to this problem is to influence your children in a positive way. There should be constant communication between parents and children. Children should be treated as young individuals. Parents should teach them to form independent opinions about good and bad.
—Gayatri Pande, Psychological Counsellor

If children are moved by violence on TV, parents should try to clear their doubts
It is very difficult to stop the TV industry from showing cartoons and films that depict violence. So, we must supervise the TV viewing habits of our children and control what they are watching. If children are moved by violence on TV, parents should try to talk to them and clear their doubts. Violence is violence, whether it is shown in an entertaining manner through cartoons or through representation of some real-life incident. The cartoons that children watch usually depict violence as a reaction to violence that results in the protagonist winning using violence. There is a possibility that children interpret this and feel that the same is possible in real life. Therefore, violence in any form is dangerous. We organise workshops for children where we teach them life skills including empathy, self-awareness, effective communication, creative and critical thinking.       
—Dr Vaishali Deshmukh, Paediatrician

These 24-hour cartoon channels are disturbing the children’s day-to-day life
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 can find something of interest at any given time. And these 24-hour cartoon channels are disturbing 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, in  families where both parents are working, it becomes an impossible task. I think the government must step in and regulate the content on TV channels. The most worrisome is the western influence that these cartoon channels are having on children, as they mostly show foreign productions.
—Chaya Patil, Parent