Debate

Teenagers becoming couch potatoes

N.U. Abdul Razzak

Television, one of the latest inventions of science has made a major revolution in the field of communication. Indeed, it has made its contribution in no small way of making our world a real "Global Village".

Undoubtedly, it has the capacity of bringing all types of happenings and events such as accidents, meetings of world leaders, staging of sports galas, building of huge constructions, visiting the under water gardens of the seas, struggling of the underprivileged, starving of beggars clashing deadly confrontations in the battle fields, dropping of bombs and what not which occur around different parts of the world to our sitting rooms.

For an instance, and exciting cricket encounter that is being staged in a far off country like Australia can instantly reach every nook and cranny of Sri Lanka or for that matter any length and breadth of the world. So it is crystal clear that millions and millions of people across the globe come under the influence of this powerful mass medium which brings the facts and information along with beautiful and impressive pictures thus making them an indelible memory in the minds of the viewers.

Therefore, it is obvious that television becomes an ideal apparatus through which we get ourselves updated, entertained and on top of all educated to keep pace with this fast moving world.

Like all other devices such as the Radio and telephone, TV has its own merits and demerits. It does its primary tasks of the provision of news besides acting as a medium of entertainment.

What about its role as an educator? A bigger portion of the population of world gets an informal education through television. Especially it is a boon for the illiterate. Besides this, for students it provides special lessons with vivid illustrations to master their subjects.

Consequently, a large number of them get through their examinations with flying colours. One can easily count hundreds of advantages it gives to the society. But what about the other side of the coin? Our topic for this month touches upon a burning issue which needs the immediate attention of the parents and the society itself.

Today violence has grown its ugly head not only in this isle but also all over the world. People in hundreds get butchered like dogs in many parts of the world everyday. Terrorists go on a killing spree targeting soldiers and civilians alike.

Human relationship has gone to the dogs. Children fail to respect parents and elders. Western culture threatens to replace our own culture. Gun has become fun! Hasn't television contributed its part for this sad state of affairs in the society today? If a "No" is given as the answer isn't it like hiding the whole melon in the plate of rice! In fact TV has a number of ill-effects that cause confusion, disturbance, harm, irresponsibility, unrest and the like.

First and foremost, a large number of children, students and teenagers have become slaves to television. They watch TV for hours and hours forgetting their other duties and responsibilities. Indeed, many of them never touch their textbooks as programmes such as cartoons, teledramas, cricket matches, films and so on keep them busily engaged.

Thus home work becomes a class work for them. As a result, pace of learning gets slower in the class room. Many students get the wrath of teachers instead of the usual greetings when they enter the class rooms or start a new lesson.

"Reading, they say maketh a full man". Have most of our children found time to abide by this habit? Hasn't television stolen away a fair amount of time of our students which is intended for this noble habit? So it is obvious children who fail to adhere to the rules and routines of schools get dropped out of schools becoming a burden to the parents, society and the country itself. They can easily become anti social elements.

Therefore it is better to completely control the viewing of the younger generation, especially that of the kids and children. It is also noticed that a vast number of youngsters watch many bad programmes for many hours.

When parents ask them to go on an errand or do their other duties they simply become immovable. Are such couch potatoes useful to this country which struggles to elevate herself to be with the developed nations? It is sad to witness that a considerable number of parents watch movies upon movies in some slums and shanties in many cities such as Colombo.

Many of them who are illiterate think that TV is a blessing that paves the way for a perfect life. Children in such families show no respect to elders or obey their parents and others. This can be the first step towards violence.

So parents should make it a point to stop this nonsense or discourage them from watching it. Ideally controlling of viewing can help bring about effective results in the society.

Secondly, a large number of viewers develop many negative traits and habits such as selfishness, laziness, disobedience and impatience when they get addicted to television. It is also a source of trouble in terms of health since it can affect the eye sight of the users of it. Many have to go for treatment.

They spend their precious time and money due to television. Many viewers are compelled to wear glasses due to excessive viewing. A slice of the population of television viewers get some unwanted diseases such as stomach ulcer, acid and other complications as they skip their meals or take them later.

Gastric ulcer is a typical disease that catches people who fail to take their meals in time. Can our children and youths be allowed to be afflicted with these modern day diseases. So, saying a no to television can help them be away from this inviting troubles.

One more harmful effect that the Nation has witnessed is the slow departure of hospitality of our society. Today when a visitor comes at our doorstep many fail to give a warm welcome to him or her.

They receive him or her half heatedly and focus their attention on the programme. Needless to say a offering a cup of tea is expected as they are conscious that it will sting the wallet unprecedentedly. So steps should be taken by parents to keep the image of Sri Lanka intact.

The greatest danger that TV causes to any nation is the showing of gun culture. Youth who are addicted to such programmes can become bad elements due to the influence of them. Many youths who have never carried arms today get into gun culture as they want to get easy money as shown in the programmes they view on this idiot box.

Sri Lanka which is famous all over the world for her traditions and values should not lose its good name for television. Who can help our nation hold her prestige? Really it is the parents who should keep the remote control to implement the censorship at home. As charity begins at home every family should plan the viewing of television to build a better Sri Lanka where we can lead a violent free life.

Sri Lanka which enjoys democracy has given as a lot of channels. There are over ten TV net works that give us news. All this organisations should be fair and balanced in their telecast.

They should plan programmes which uphold the values such as honesty, truthfulness, patience, obedience, patriotism and so on. As Sri Lanka is bleeding for peace let us have programmes which will help immediately build peace in Sri Lanka.

Finding options for constructive programmes

Miran Perera

Television programming is a science and an art but in Sri Lanka locally produced programmes do not seem to live up to that expectation. It is because a big idea or a real television show does not exist. Some might say it is not true and if that was the scenario none of the television programmes could have any viewership.

The fact is that unfortunately television viewing Sri Lankan public have no choice but to watch programmes produced of mediocre quality, dished in with cheap thrills and plenty of violence. As is the case in all the countries in Sri Lanka television impacts children's lives positively and negatively.

In Sri Lanka there is a low level of interest in reporting on children's issues and significant inadequacies in the existing television coverage. As evident in the televisions role of helping to realize the potential of children and for social change are not acknowledged or adequately supported in Sri Lanka.

The central and demanding task of any television channel is to surprise the viewer. Television programming as a profession largely exists to surprise. Something that attracts the attention of a person who doesn't care much about anything requires some professional skill in its presentation such as crime and violence.

Courage and commitment

More seriously the liberating surprise of uncovering what too many people want hidden, such as crime and violence is potentially a moment of real moral change and needs some quite substantial resources to make it happen. The personal courage and commitment of certain television personnel in the service of such moral change and vision is indisputable.

A television reporter may want to pursue surprise because he or she assumes that where most adults and children start is from boredom taking the option of a channel and so the surprise has to be at some level entertaining be it violence, crime or sex.

Or they many start from the assumption that the real problem is not boredom but the fact that certain television channels have decided whats good for us to know such as crime and violence information and entertainment.

Perhaps they may be satisfied that we should be alternately bored and entertained. What needs to be challenged is such people's right to decide on crime, sex and violence over others.

There are many television establishments operating in Sri Lanka and one element that props up this competition is the advertising through programmes of crime and violence. This manipulates peoples minds. Apart from the rare advertisements that carry strong social messages most advertisements promote the consumerist thinking.

Children are used for advertising merchandise from ice cream to life insurance policies. In between there are the programmes of action, thrills and violence where undoubtedly young people will begin to watch such television programmes.

Advertisers in general lack sensitivity whether their target audience are children or adults inserting their advertisement segments into programmes containing violence and crime.

Advertisements

The concern is on children more than adults as to how advertising affects them. Advertisements speaking for children should be telecasted more. Advertisements for children should not be shown in between programmes containing violence and crime.

Advertisements using children must be made under vital stringent regulations. In a market where the advertisement pie is small the costs of managing a television station islandwide is huge and then investing a good amount of money in local productions does not seem to be a viable financial alternative.

What we see as a result of this is foreign shows and films full of crime and violence dubbed in the Sinhala langauge. In the age where technology of telecasting and production has improved to the point that programmes can be produced very much cheaply and largely relies on the creativeness and ingenuity of the producer to produce a programme in a cost effective manner and also presenting many options to viewers with alternative channels not containing violence and crime.

Such programmes could be made with a larger budget for something like a specialist set or special effects and if so telecasters should give all the encouragement to such producers.

At the end of the day television is a creative medium. Surely anything that limits creativity cannot be a good thing. One of the most powerful defences the media can offer for controversial actions such as telecasting excessive programmes of violence is of course the high public interest.

Guide children to avoid violence on TV

Prema Samarakoon

Over a period of nearly three decades the TV, one strong item in the mass media has reached every nook and corner of this island. It is no more a luxury, but is an essential requirement in almost all homes.

Even in areas where electricity is not yet provided, people use battery operated TVs. At a time when there is a knowledge explosion, TV is one of the sources for disseminating that knowledge the world over. Then a TV is a must not only in educational institutions and other important places but also is an essential requirement in every household.

Further in places such as hotels, restaurants and even in wayside tea-kiosks a TV is always available, for one can see how during the cricket season passers by gather in front of small boutiques to view the matches on TV.

In spite of the fact that new knowledge and hot-hot information can be reached today through other sources such as internet and e-mail, the common man whether educated or not has to depend on the TV to get information.

So one has to accept the fact that violence or not, the TV cannot be excluded from one's daily life. Invariably then the liability for the little ones to be exposed to "on screen violence", is on the increase. That's due to certain TV programmes telecasting cartoons, dramas and serials depicting horror, murder, day-light robberies displaying the very use of dangerous weapons.

TV does offer children good programmes too. For educating a child in modern times, textbook knowledge and the teacher's instructions are not at all sufficient. Not only in developed countries, but also in developing countries, mostly in South Asia, Africa and Latin America, new technology is being used as far as possible.

Overhead projectors, audio cassette recorders, TV sets, computers and so on are modes available in schools and other educational institutions. Within the classroom a child is no more a passive listener. He or she is an active participant in the teaching - learning process.

A classroom without audio-visual equipment neither could motivate a child to learn, no could help a child keep in memory what is learnt. Long-term memory is made possible not by mere words that a child learns, but real life experiences. Pictorial depictions and motion pictures are more conducive. In Sri Lanka mostly a readily available audio-visual equipment no doubt is a TV set.

The school can organise to make children view important educational programmes during the school time as and when necessary. While spending a child's leisure time at home too the child can view selected programmes on TV.

Of course the parents and the elders are responsible to get their children view beneficial TV programmes. There are well planned and educationally rich programmes which are beneficial to children and youth.

Do children find violence only on TV?

Today in many parts of the world including Sri Lanka there is a trend of growing violence. At times the law of the jungle prevails. The stronger and the more powerful destroying the weaker and the more innocent is the order of the day.

So there is an argument whether it is TV only that displays violence. Children have to be safeguarded from TV violence as well as events and scenes of real violence taking place. In the Sri Lankan context, this is a country where two social upheavals had taken place.

People in this country who thought twice before killing a mosquito or a house rat took to arms killing others in broad daylight. Dead bodies were strewn all over. Well, those are inevitable happenings during times of insurgency.

At present also in Sri Lanka numerous violent deeds are taking place. Abusing of women and children, kidnappings and robing others' property at gun point are some of these violent happenings.

The daily and weekly papers in addition to the TV channels flash these very often with pictures of such gruesome events. Thus children are receiving such information through printed media as well as the TV.

On top of such happenings the atrocious inhuman deeds resulting from the civil war based on the National Issue has given rise to untold misery to the people of this island.

The little ones growing up in such fearful environments do experience violence unheard of. Such atrocities mostly take place in certain areas and not islandwide. Yet the life in other areas too has grown extremely tense.

So it is a fact that TV violence is not the only factor that affects the growing children's emotional development. Under disturbed emotional conditions it is unavoidable that a child gets into one or more of the mental illnesses such as anxiety, stress, trauma and frustration. Such situations invariably lead to maladjusted behaviour like disobedience, day-dreaming, aggression and aloofness.

Children's exposure to violence. How to prevent?

Ways and means to protect children from being subjected to direct violence, experiencing violent events or viewing TV violence should receive the attention of several sections of the society.

Preventing violence from war or civil strife is beyond the control of ordinary public. However, the security forces and vigilant committees being established presently can help to a certain extent. Above all the parents of the children should take measures to safeguard their children.

As far as the TV violence is concerned, a grater responsibility rests on teachers, parents and elders on the one hand and religious institutions on the other. It may be that some parents are not mindful about what their children view on TV. Those who are more aware do select the programmes for their children to observe and wean them from violent programmes.

The teachers on the whole are able to influence both parents and children. The teachers therefore, when they meet parents once a month or otherwise can draw the parents' attention to prevent their children from observing violent cartoon pictures, serials or teledramas.

The most lasting measures are of course linked with moral education. A child of five to six years can generally be made aware that there are good things and bad things. Their attention could be drawn to what is right and what is wrong. Gradually they can be guided to select good things and right things. They should be made to discriminate right action from wrong action, right behaviour from wrong behaviour. Eventually the child could be taught to shun what is bad or wrong.

In modern times when life is fast going 100% prevention of children observing violent programmes on TV is not likely to be achieved. Therefore it is more advisable to teach the child to glean what is important and worthy of learning and discard what is unworthy.

The younger children of course should be safeguarded specially by their own parents and elders because due to their mental immaturity they an be proved more susceptible to violent actions on TV.

*********

Violence on TV:

The Broader Picture

Television invaded Sri Lanka in the 1980s and now it has expanded to every nook and corner of the country. There is a surfeit of channels on terrestrial free-to-air television and even more if you have access to cable or satellite. More channels are being added.

Television dominates our evenings, with most people glued to teledramas and foreign teleserials.

Today's children literally grow up with television. Children are instantly attracted to this visual medium. Their growing minds are susceptible to accumulate everything shown on the telly.

There is a lot of blood on show on television. Local teledramas as well as foreign series show countless murders, shootings, kidnappings, explosions etc. There are many who believe that young minds exposed to such violence on television will turn out to be citizens with unsound minds.

But can anything be done about it in this modern age when even the news telecasts feature loads of violence ? What are your views on 'Violence on Television: The broader picture'. Do write to us on the abive topic to Daily News Debate, Daily News, Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, PO Box 1217, Colombo, or via e-mail to debate@dailynews.lk before March 31, 2008. Limit your contributions to a maximum 1,000 words.