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When we drive through our city streets or take Toronto transit bus or subway, our eyes get caught sometimes with obscene commercials like men kissing men or teen-age half naked girls in a commercial of corporate company to market their products. We put our gaze down while commuting with daughters, sons or parents being very disturbed as a Muslim or an Asian.
Our parents locally and globally are really concerned about daily amount of violence at our children`s behavior at home, school and community.
Most of the parents or community leaders or educational staffs do know the root causes for obnoxious or rude behavior of our children, as they figure out violent programs in Television and Internet or video games as responsible for this.
If we look at USA Statistics of National Coalition on TV Violence report, we find that there are 200 violences occur every hour. Twenty five percent of violent acts are shown on Saturdays Morning Television and 9.5% violent acts are shown on Prime Time Television.
Talking about social networking, cyber crime is a new word in criminology in Canadian or global society. Male or female children are equally likely to be cyber-bullied using social network.
Our young children are often not to separate real life from fictions on social networks, cinema or Television. When we watch TV children at play we can recognize their mannerisms, styles, and even actual imitations of phrases, lines and actions.
Those actions in Television or Internet or Cinema including kicking, hitting, knifing, shooting or verbal abuse are totally damaging our children.
Last week, I got a call from a Toronto DSB parent that her daughter was physically bullied and when she took revenge by cyber-bullying using an account not on her name, she got caught and faces the consequence of 4 days suspension with 4 weeks rehabilitation in special educational program of alternative school transferred from her regular school.
Every year in my school or school program community centers, classrooms or offices, I notice how our children and youths are addicted to text messaging during the class time or working period.
I also notice visiting some families and friends houses that while children are spending daily 6-8 hours, the parents spend more time on gadgets like 8-10 hours daily for text messaging, watching, talking, chatting, surfing, playing games and so on.
Computers hardware and software, Musical Players, Video Machines, Video Games and Phone manufactures have been making billions or trillions from our parents but our parents do not realize how these technological gadgets have side or negative impact on our children.
The phone service providing companies globally have totally damaged our young generation giving free phone with unlimited text, data and talk only for a $1/day cost or privilege.
Our parents, educators, administrators and community leaders have been losing control on our children as most of them getting disobedient to their parents, teachers and elders. The children have been suffering from addiction of these gadgets. They are becoming disobedient and disloyal even to the creator. This is irrespective of the religion.
In 2009, 46% of males and 34% of females are cyber-bullied in in Canada. Children at the age 12-13, are highest victim in cyber-bullying.
So what are the solutions to parents to save the children?
-Try to sit with children time to time to watch TV, Cinema, Social Networking to know what they are watching or doing.
-For internet safety, never give user I`d and password to others for both children and adults.
-Talk with your children about what is real and is not real in TV, Cinema or Video Games.
-Talk with our youngsters about the kind of physical violence they watch in TV or movies and suggest them to minimize watching the destructive or violent ones.
-Leave home computers in a visible area at home or classrooms to monitor use of time lengths and types of programs.
-Customize the appropriate software or cable TV channel for your children.
-Encourage older children to discuss what a TV program or video game or a movie would be like if all the violence were omitted? Why the producers include violence? Are all stories real or fiction?
-Set reasonable guideline for home TV, Internet and computer or video games use
-We cannot live without technology. Proper usage of technology for children is necessary.
-Finally, as parents, we can report about violence in radio, TV, movies or internet at our local or global TV channels, social networks to the advertisers and manufacturers of violent programs and national commission on Radio, Television and Telecommunication. For instance, in Canada, we can write to CRTC (Canadian Radio, Television and Telecommunications, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A0N2) and to the Ministry of Communications.
The writer is a DSB High School Educator and Coordinator, Toronto Bangladeshi Parents Advisory Council.
EAP