Abstract
Media’s presence in children’s lives is vehemently ubiquitous. Today, Indian children spend
almost six hours a day with media. The potentially negative consequences of
children’s
media consumption receive a lot of attention. Yet media’s unique power and reach can also be
used to educate children and enrich their lives. Television, which once
dominated children’s
media consumption habits, is now joined by computers, video game players, cell
phones and other connected devices. The result is that children today are completely
immersed in media experiences from a very young age.
Introduction
Media is everywhere. TV, Internet, computer and video
games all vie for our children's attention. Information on this page can help
parents understand the impact media has in our children's lives, while offering
tips on managing time spent with various media. Today's children are spending an
average of seven hours a day on entertainment media, including televisions,
computers, phones and other electronic devices. To help kids make wise media
choices, parents should monitor their media diet. Parents can make use of established
ratings systems for shows, movies and games to avoid inappropriate content,
such as violence, explicit sexual content or glorified tobacco and alcohol use.
Studies have shown that excessive media use can lead
to attention problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders, and
obesity. In
addition, the Internet and cell phones can provide platforms for illicit and
risky behaviors.
By limiting screen time and offering educational media
and non-electronic
formats such as books, newspapers and board games, and watching television with
their children, parents can help guide their children's media experience. Putting questionable content into
context and teaching kids about advertising contributes to their media literacy.
Taking into account this great amount of engagement
& rising violence against children receiving media coverage, all
journalists and media professionals have a duty to maintain the highest ethical
and professional standards and should promote within the industry the widest
possible dissemination of information about the International Convention on the
Rights of the Child and its implications for the exercise of independent
journalism.
Media organisations should regard violation of the
rights of children and issues related to children's safety, privacy, security,
their education, health and social welfare and all forms of exploitation as
important questions for investigations and public debate. Children have an absolute right to
privacy, the only exceptions being those explicitly set out in these guidelines.
Journalistic activity which touches on the lives and
welfare of children should always be carried out with appreciation of the
vulnerable situation of children.
Even the journalistic coverage and
subsequent exposure of the Swat Valley encounter experienced first hand by
Malala Yousafzai falls in the grey space of such vulnerability that children
are put in, themselves. The
journalistic question raised by Malala Yousafzai's tragedy is this: when parents make their
children vulnerable by placing them in the media spotlight, are journalists
ever obligated to act in loco parentis and exercise restraint? And if so — when and how? In Malala's case,
at least, there's no easy answer. Perhaps the extensive coverage of Malala helped
put her at risk. But
it also highlighted her passionate and courage — and the brutality of the system
she was fighting against. Whether
that trade-off
was worth it may depend, in the end, on whether she survives.
Guidelines
Journalists and media organisations shall strive to
maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct in reporting children's
affairs and, in particular, they shall
● strive for
standards of excellence in terms of accuracy and sensitivity when reporting on
issues involving children;
● avoid programming
and publication of images which intrude upon the media space of children with
information which is damaging to them;
● avoid the
use of stereotypes and sensational presentation to promote journalistic
material involving children;
● consider carefully
the consequences of publication of any material concerning children and shall
minimise harm to children;
● guard against
visually or otherwise identifying children unless it is demonstrably in the
public interest;
● give children,
where possible, the right of access to media to express their own opinions
without inducement of any kind;
● ensure independent
verification of information provided by children and take special care to
ensure that verification takes place without putting child informants at risk;
● avoid the
use of sexualised images of children;
● use fair,
open and straightforward methods for obtaining pictures and, where possible,
obtain them with the knowledge and consent of children or a responsible adult,
guardian or carer;
● verify the
credentials of any organisation purporting to speak for or to represent the
interests of children.
● not make
payment to children for material involving the welfare of children or to
parents or guardians of children unless it is demonstrably in the interest of
the child.
Journalists should put to critical examination the
reports submitted and the claims made by Governments on implementation of
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in their
respective countries.
Media should not consider and report the conditions of
children only as events but should continuously report the process likely to
lead or leading to the occurrence of these events.
Principles
For the benefit for children themselves, how events including
them are covered, how events are presented to them; 4 basic ground Principles
were laid down to keep children both informed yet at the same time not deter
their development as individuals. Why
does this separation become important for children? It is because they are
directly affected by the things they see on the screens. Children are neither mentally
developed enough to question things or rationalise fantasy from reality nor
hold the mental grit to distinguish right from wrong(morals & ethical dilemmas); any biased information or ethically
wrong or immoral information can affect them negatively which is antithetical
to their development.
Over the past 30 years there has been extensive
research on the relationship between televised violence
and violent behavior among youth. Longitudinal,
cross-sectional, and
experimental studies have all confirmed this correlation. Televised violence and the presence
of television in American households have increased steadily over the years. In 1950, only 10% of American homes had a television.Today 99% of homes have televisions. In fact, more families have
televisions than telephones. Over
half of all children have a television set in their bedrooms. This gives a greater opportunity for
children to view programs without parental supervision. Studies reveal that children watch
approximately 28 hours of television a week, more time than they spend in
school. The typical
American child will view more than 200,000 acts of violence, including more
than 16,000 murders before age 18. Television
programs display 812 violent acts per hour; children's programming,
particularly cartoons, displays up to 20 violent acts hourly. Schools, hospitals, and community
groups may hold free workshops on topics such as taking control of kids' TV
watching. They
can make a difference in the way media impacts on their kids. If they limit, supervise, and share
media experiences with children, they have much to gain. When parents help their children
understand how their media choices affect them, they actively control their
media use rather than giving in to the influence of media without thinking
about it.
● Children have an
absolute right to privacy. The
highest ethical and professional standards in reporting and covering cases of
children must be observed such that in all publicity concerning children, the
best interests of the child shall be the primary concern.
● The child’s dignity must be respected at all times.
● Children have the
right to be heard. Access
to media by children should be encouraged.
● The mass media is
a partner in the promotion of child rights and the prevention of child
delinquency, and is encouraged to relay consistent messages through a balanced
approach. Journalistic
activity which touches on the lives and welfare of children must be carried out
with sensitivity and appreciation of the vulnerable situation of children, so
that children are not re-victimized
or re-traumatized.
Bibliography/Sources
1. https://www.unicef.org/southafrica/SAF_publications_soulbuddiez.pdf
2. http://aaina.org.in/kallola/docs/NCPCR-media-guidelines-for-children.pdf
3. https://www.doj.gov.ph/files/2016/THE%20GUIDE%20FOR%20MEDIA%20PRACTITIONERS.pdf
4. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/setting-standards-for-media-coverage-of-childrens-issues/article5606726.ece
By Shweta Kaul, Second Year,
BA Journalism (H)
LSR
