There is something that holds today´s children apart from the previous generation. At the click of a switch, they have access to a mind-boggling array of programmes on the television screen. Children in Western countries have had this kind of option for many years, but it was only the arrival of satellite television a few years back that gave us in South Asia the same kind of choice.
We are reacting to the sudden availability of satellite channels rather like kids who have been let loose in an ice-cream parlour with dozens of flavours to choose from. Until satellite television came along, in each of our countries, all we had was government-run tv, which functioned under the unimaginative control of government ministers and other politicians. Which was why there was so much excitement when it became possible to receive international programmes through dish antennas.
After the initial thrill was over, however, people began thinking about how satellite television was affecting our societies, the way we lived, what we ate, what games we played, and how we thought. Satellite television is a great thing to have, but it has to be used properly. Most importantly, many parents who themselves are not used to all that is now available at the press of a button, are allowing their offspring to watch anything and everything.
The reading habit, which is so important to develop the mind, is forgotten when there is mindless television watching. Children who are not guided by mindful elders, are likely to become addicted to television and wrongly influenced by what they see on the screen. Let us be clear about one thing: the channels that are presently being beamed to our cities and villages are mostly the product of Western television producers, based in New York, London or Hongkong.