2023-04-16 06:05:53
Beirut- During the holy month of Ramadan, series and programs abound on television, and the whole family gathers to watch them with enthusiasm. Children and adolescents are often affected by the events of these TV shows and the characters of their protagonists.
And because of their inability to analyze events in a logical and conscious way, like adults, children are unaware of what really benefits or harms them from the behavior of the characters they watch and try to imitate. Children are usually influenced by the characters of their favorite series, to the extent that they scrutinize the simplest details and follow the course of events with all their senses.
Aggressive scenes and wrong behaviors
Vera Karout, a family counselor and researcher in mental health, says that Ramadan series may include scenes that do not suit the age of children, such as scenes of violence, harassment and smoking, because children at this age tend to imitate the behaviors around them, which endangers their life or deviates from their behavior.
In her interview with Al-Jazeera Net, Karout stresses the need to keep children away from series that contain aggressive scenes and improper behavior, in order to avoid them being affected by them. And she adds, “When watching a series or program, the child listens to the events with all his senses, as do the rest of the family. The difference between him and them is that he does not have the ability to analyze. The child also programs his behavior and actions through these series, considering that what the hero is doing is correct, Even if he is violent or immoral, especially when the latter takes revenge on the bad guys.
Directing children to what benefits them
Karout believes that the age range from 6 years to adolescence is accurate. Thus, it is necessary to pay attention to the content that the child watches, because he often tends to imitate the actions of the heroes of TV shows. And parents should work, as much as possible, to control what their young children watch on the screen, or even keep them away from soap operas, and direct their attention to programs that are appropriate for their age and bring them many benefits.
The family counselor points out that today’s series now contain large doses of violence, especially since a number of them revolve around gangs. Therefore, when parents watch the series in the presence of the child, it is necessary to discuss its topic and content with him and teach him how to criticize if the content is bad. They must also confirm that violence is unacceptable and unjustified, and that these behaviors are wrong, and the perpetrator must be punished for it.
It warns of the danger of the child becoming accustomed to scenes of violence, because that will turn him into a violent person, and he may become convinced of the models he watches and takes as an example for him, so he imitates them in their movements, speech and behavior.
The most important advice, according to Karout, is to limit the hours a child watches television, especially during the month of Ramadan, so that his homework and assignments, and the activities he is supposed to do at his age, are not affected.
Precautionary guidelines
The Hopkins Medicine website notes (hopkinsmedicine) pointed out the importance of the role of parents in mitigating the negative effects when children watch television programmes, and advised to follow the following instructions and rules to ensure their safety:
- The amount of time you watch TV should be set.
- Monitor the channels that attract him.
- Sit with the children while watching a specific programme, and get them used to distinguishing between what they are watching of fantasy or reality, so that they do not get confused.
- Trying to answer all the child’s questions about what he is watching, to correct his beliefs and not to let his imagination go to the wrong place.
- Directing the child towards targeted programs that contain science and knowledge to develop his talents and cultivate a desire for science.
On the other hand, Kids Health stresses (kidshealth) on the importance of technology in the life of a child who is often affected by the characters that appear on television or electronic games, without realizing what is right and wrong in their behaviour.
According to studies and research, according to the site, children watching violent films at an early age raise their crime rate when they grow up, as they acquire many bad habits that have been ingrained in their minds since childhood. Some of them watch programs that exaggerate the depiction of reality, and present idealistic, unreal personalities in an exaggerated manner. When a child sees these perfect personalities and compares himself to them, he feels inferior and his view of himself is negatively affected. He often suffers from insomnia and lack of sleep, and suffers from depression, isolation and introversion.
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