Films And Their Impact On Children
It was just day before yesterday only when I came across a shocking scenario in my friend’s place. Actually that day I went to my friend’s house for dinner. When we were just talking to each other, my friend’s eight year old daughter was busy with her notebook; she was writing something minutely. After she finished her writings, she went to her bed as it was around 10 o’clock. Out of curiosity, I tool her notebook and searching for the thing that she wrote just few minutes ago. I was shocked to find that this little eight year old girl was writing a love letter.
Another thing that astonished me the most is the level of maturity of her writing. She wrote it as correct as an 18 year old teen could have written. This incident set me think that from where these children get the inspiration from writing such things. No doubt, it is the media. This little girl may be unaware of what a love letter is, but she at least found something interesting that dragged her attention. The family plays a vital role in molding children’s character, imagination and thought structure. But the role of media is also undeniable. The term media covers a wide range that includes newspapers, magazines, television, radio, the Internet, and other traditional forms such as puppetry, jatra and kirtana. Films also come under the umbrella of media as it is used as a vital tool to communicate with a large group of people.
After independence, the great Indian thinkers perceived it as a way of enlightening Indian populace and spread awareness among them. Throughout the years, the film industry has undergone many changes. Modern day movies concentrate more on reflection on the grim social issues. Different genres movies have been introduced also. Every year the film makers come up with interesting children films that almost every child love to watch. But unfortunately these films mostly don’t carry any moral suggestion for the kids. The films have varied impact on children, both positive and negative. Some of the impacts are briefly discussed below:-
• Films are called the reflection of the society. Thus it is a great and entertaining way of teaching children about their cultural and social heritage. But at the same time, this brings forth some of the real life facts that children are very young to know
• Studies over a span of three decades, beginning in the early 1970s, have shown that significant exposure to media violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children and adolescents
• Researchers have suggested that media may influence the development of self-esteem in adolescents through messages about body image. Television, movies, magazines, and advertisements present images that promote unrealistic expectations of beauty, body weight, and acceptable physical appearance
• Educators have expressed concerns that the passive nature of media exposure undermines the ability of students to be active learners. Conversely, there have been concerns that overstimulation due to excessive media use might be related to attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity. There has been no research to date that indicates a clear relationship.
In the process of social development, films play a vital role. Throughout the years, the films are the medium of entertainment for the mass Indian populace. Children can also reap many beneficial fruits from the films, but for this the parents need to be conscious enough. They should monitor closely the media consumption habits of their children so that a healthier world can be given to them.
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Ravi Jain This article has been written by a school guide of OnlineSchoolAdmissions.Com, who also provides free of cost counseling to parents on school admissions. A visit to the site lets parents know about the boaz public school or dav international school of their choice. They can also search for euro school in airoli as per their choice and fill up the school application forms online. |