Kids and television

GROWING UP WITH TELEVISION - Asian Children's Experience: Aruna Goonsekara and Others; Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), Jurong Point P.O. Box 360, Singapore-916412. Rs. 750.

``MOST MASS media programmes are not produced with children's interest in mind. Like other commercial commodities these are produced for profit in the market place''. Thus begins the book on Asian children's television experience. With the growth of economy in Asian countries, rampant commercialisation has entered children's TV programming as well. Only around one per cent of the TV programmes are made for children, despite children (below 15 years) in Asian countries constituting 30 per cent of the population. This is because of the perception that children's programmes do not have appeal to advertisers. The book presents a gist of empirical studies on TV programming in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore and Vietnam in 300 odd pages.

Only in China, all government-approved TV stations including CCTV have time slots for telecasting children's programmes, lasting for two to eight hours a day. Some of these programmes are broadcast during prime time. It should be noted here that China has outpaced many other developing countries in education.

The Indian study's major finding is that not a single indigenous children's programme was recalled by the children interviewed. But this finding is in concert with the reality that at least ``Shaktimaan'' is quite popular and controversial too because of its overdose of violence. May be, the researcher has not bothered to reach out to the Doordarshan audience who constitute 65 per cent.

In the densely-populated city-state of Singapore, ethnic make-up is clearly and consciously reflected in the programming mix. The study has a unique research technique - focussed group interviews interspersed with viewing segments videotaped to supplement the findings of content analysis.

Of late, imported programmes - mostly made in the U.S. or Japan - are dubbed in local networks. But the fact remains that they continue to promote an alien culture, at times undesirable, in the local settings. A country like Nepal has the slight advantage of receiving programmes from culturally-related neighbours such as India and Pakistan. This is not to say even indigenous programmes promote wrong values. For instance, most programmes reinforce stereotypes depicting men as strong and capable of solving problems, and women as staying at home and playing supportive roles.

Although children are reluctant to watch TV programmes specially prepared for them, they love to watch adult programmes. Often, producers forget that children of today are adult-like. The animated cartoons, particularly the imported ones that imitate the adult world, are popular. Few children complain about cartoons. The studies, in general, conclude that cartoons are ``either pure entertainment or communicated good moral values.'' Juxtaposing them with the film-based programmes that are full of crime, violence and sex, cartoons are better. But it should be recalled here that the famous Frederic Wertham study in the U.S. on television violence was done following the death of a little boy who got a Superman cape for his birthday imitating a TV cartoon show, wrapped it around himself, and leapt out of the window of his apartment to his death.

Most children's programmes depict the world as a dangerous place and so the good people need to resort to violence to prevail over the evil. Violence is shown to be a common and often essential part of life. The studies suggest that children's programmes should not have any content concerning the dark side of things of society such as incest, rape and murder, no content depicting adult's negative nature and moral characters such as their worries and misgivings, suspicion, fear and narrow-mindedness because such content can easily bring about disappointment in adults' society, sometimes causing a mental block in children.

The lack of media literacy is evident from the pioneering studies. Even many adults hold television as unproblematic. Teachers and parents should discuss television programmes with children to deconstruct the television reality. The question, what sort of world is created for children by these television programmes, needs to be constantly addressed in programme production and media research. Children's TV programmes should also combine education with recreation, thus not adding to the burden of textbooks.

I. ARUL ARAM

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