Atongla Rothrong
In a life dictated by datelines more often than not, the Television sometimes seems to be the easiest option to keep kids out of mischief. “Between working and managing the home, I’ am guilty of plonking my kids in front of the TV” admits Kaholi a working mother. But are our kids being ‘edutained’or are they being subjected, zombie-like, to all the wrong impressions from programmes definitely not intended for children?
Aseno says that though she would like to monitor what her daughters watches on TV, the matter is out of her hands as her mom-in-law controls the remote. “They are glued to regressive soap operas and I can’t do anything about it” she laments.
What exactly should your kids be watching? Says well known child psychologist Dr. Madhumita Puri, “The effect of TV on kids is age specific, and recent scientific medical studies have shown that if very young kids watch TV for an extended period of time, their powers of concentration will be affected. In the first two years of life, there is plasticity of the brain and it continues to regenerate for two years and till that time, what kids watch on TV is of great importance” she points out.
However, Dr.Puri says that TV, viewed as a mode of recreation, has its own value, but care should be taken to ensure that it doesn’t become a means of escapism. Also, if time is worked for collective family viewing, it can act as important bonding time while giving parents innovative time to approach delicate issues, as those arising from indecent graphic scenes. TV viewing she adds can have educational value with the right guidance. But it should come with a warning that you constantly share with your kids- everything you watch on TV is not reality.
Apart from National Geography, Discovery, Cartoon Network, POGO and the like, it seems to be a choice between the devil and the deep sea where kids’ TV programming is concerned. The findings of a study by the Asian Media information and Communication Centre in 1999 still appear to hold true: in most Asian countries, although children under the age of 15 comprised 40% of the population, only a small proportion of TV and radio programmes were produced for kids; worse, in those countries with rapidly growing economies, rampant commercialism has entered kids media programming. Two major factors stand out when it comes to programmes available for children- the predominance of animation programmes and the dominance of foreign programming;
“Children in our society are well versed with the Power puff Girls and other foreign characters and you can’t blame them because where are the truly Indian or rather Naga programmes for kids?” asks Chubala a mother of two pre-schoolers. Not one of the programmes recalled by the sample of children interviewed, were made in India, which means parents are left facing a Hobson’s choice-to let the kids watch or not to watch TV because what’s the choice?
EXPERTS SPEAK: Straight from the experts, a research study commissioned by POGO in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and with specialists including educators, psychologist and psychiatrists roped in, has thrown up some interesting revelations. First comes the not surprising finding that mothers or other family members play a substantial role in initiating young children to TV viewing. The initiation is either intentional (in the form of a reward) or unintentional, where the child as a secondary viewer watches TV with the mother or family. What emerged is that most of what is watched on TV by children was not appropriate. Just to present a case, in the numerous homes across Nagaland which I have noticed is a mother’s obsession in watching “Bold and the Beautiful”. Strictly meant for the adult audience I have observed children glued to the television sets watching with ‘my mom’.
According to the experts, most TV fare was:
• Stereotyped (mum always busy; result of which kids develop fixed notions)
• Cluttered (too many situations/ relationships of different kinds with implied meanings which were impossible for the child to relate to)
• Too fast paced (by the time kids register what is happening, its over and thus children tend to imagine outcomes, which is not a good thing)
• Too much too soon (resulting in kids getting exposed to negative emotions very early)
Taming the TV monster: Take control of your Childs viewing habits, by using some of these strategies.
Content: The theme should be positive and high on happiness quotient. The basic concept should be in tune with the child’s cognitive development stage- colors, shapes, alphabets, counting, social etiquette and interaction skills.
Execution: It should be simple, easy to comprehend- the language, accent, tone, narratives etc. The emphasis should be on repetition as it aids the Childs comprehension of the subject. The use of fast moving images should be limited, as an easy pace helps the child to remain in active mode. Most importantly, a child requires help in ‘summing up’ and therefore, a closure or a suitable ending per viewing occasion is advisable.
Benefits: The programmes should be a preparatory tool to coping with peers and among the first steps in cognitive development.
Timing: Try to see that their TV schedule does not coincide with their homework or playtime. Educate them about prioritizing.
