Today the media has a strong influence on people, especially children. Kids can be heard humming jingles, dressing up like their favourite heroine, acting like their favourite hero or imitating fights in movies. While sitting idle at home, the kids just have to flip through magazine, click on a website, slide a movie into the DVD Player or simply surf the channel to experience all kinds of messages.
Children are extremely quick in grasping things as their memory is sharp and these sounds, acts and ideas can last forever in their memories. Children learn to behave aggressively towards others through media violence and they tend to resort to hostile behavior instead of self control for conflict resolution.
Many concerned people like parents claim that ever violent nature of media violence is the reason why people especially children are increasingly prepared to commit violent acts. They criticise that violence is being portrayed as normal or even entertaining. Violence is everywhere; on the news, in the newspapers, in cartoons and in movies. Violence is served as pseudo-information in reality shows and for attention seeking purpose in newspapers, it is a vital source of laughter and amusement in children programs and mostly musicians as well as singers use it in their lyrics and performances. In fact it is extremely hard to find out material that is not linked to any form of violence in public domain. From the past few decades we have been noticing a significant rise in the child crimes, where children are involved in petty crimes such as stealing, committing murders, assaults etcetera. In one case, court declared a death penalty to a 17 year old boy for murdering his class mate. In another case, a child jumped off a building expecting ‘Superman’ to come and save him. He died instantly after hitting the ground. Similarly in another situation a boy seriously injured his elder brother after watching a villain in an Indian movie doing so.
At present the combined cable and satellite viewership is estimated at 47% urban, 18% rural and 49% in the upscale segment (earning plus Rs.20, 000 incomes). For Pakistan it can be safely concluded that exposure of children to violence is mainly due to cable that has brought the whole world into our homes, with little or no censure from parents. This is where the guidance from the parents is needed to save the situation that is not out of control completely. Parental guidance is needed, as parents do not supervise their child to the extent that is required for their emotional and moral development.
FAHAD SIDDIQ
Lahore