High time to stop being adicted to the TV:

Alarm bells are ringing

by Lakmal Welabada

Little Binuri was with the newest story book 'Thammbelina' which she got as a gift from her mother. Her mother phoned her that afternoon and asked Binuri to get the story read by her grandparents as she was getting late to come home from office.

Binuri, the six-year-old was at the centre of the sitting room. Her grandparents, young spinster aunt and bachelor uncle and maid were around her. All of them were fully engrossed in the Sinhala dubbed Indian teledrma shown on TV.

Binuri waited patiently watching how the lady on Tv was carrying on with her paramour. Binuri wondered why the teenage Akki in the next programme was crying so hard and then ran away with her 'boy' friend. Binuri sensed that Akki's parents didn't like the boy. 'Is this the solution when the parents or elders are not in favour of what we, the young do?' she wondered.

TV programs, especially the chain of non-ending teledramas have begun to play a big role in the day-to-day life of Sri Lanka now. Most of the TV programs shown in Sri Lanka are not meant for a particular age group.

Moreover, they are considered the best significant source of entertainment by the upper and middle class society of the country.

Apart from its entertainment capability, many learned people including sociologists point out the distortion caused by TV. This especially affect children and hinders interaction among family members.

Dr. Chandana Jayaratne of the Department of Physics of the University of Colombo once explained the Ice Berg theory of Sygmond Freud. The percentage of the subconscious of a child's mind (super ego) is larger than his conscious (ego). The ego helps one to argue on something and come to a better conclusion.

When it's not functioning they get hyptonised to whatever they are exposed, and that goes deep into their super ego and gets inculcated. This is what happens in a child's mind as generally the function of the ego of a child that is below the age of 12 years is less than his super ego.

And that's why a child has a limited skill of arguing. By 12-13 years, he begins to talk back as his ego starts to function. Hence when a child below 12 years gets exposed to vulnerabilities of any kind (it can be mild or vigorous) he is supposed to have implanted them in his ego and which he would activate later in life.

As an example we'll think you scared a child over using a knife thinking of her own safety. But once she grows up and starts her lessons at home science class, she would show a phobia to use a knife.

Likewise both the picturesque and moraly uplifting as well as demoralising incidents shown in the 'magic box' would definitely have a greater effect than we expect in a child's mind and personality.

Dr. Iresha Karunaratne, Lecturer of the Sociology Department of the University of Colombo has this to say about the effect of TV in present-day Sri Lanka.

"We cannot deny the fact that TV is a big source of entertainment. As a sociologist, my opinion in general is, whatever the TV programme and the channel you watch, it has replaced many things in your life. You waste the golden time that you should use to talk and understand your children's feelings.

As a result the bond and the link between the two parties would get either distanced, split or broken. This would affect teenage children the most" explains Dr. Karunaratne.

Why do you let the TV consume your time?... the time you will never ever get back. The alarm is already ringing and it's high time to wake up from the 'day and night' hypnotism of the TV.

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