Technology is changing the world and impacting children both in good and bad ways. The question is how we can channelise it for their benefit especially in education. In our country Pakistan, the Internet connectivity and infrastructure is getting better and stronger, however, what our children are watching is the biggest question.
Digital Content Today
Primarily YouTube is the platform where children are watching their content today. Are we as parents aware of what they are watching and how it is impacting their minds? YouTube is a digital platform where you can access millions of cartoons and other programs without any restrictions. It can have both good and bad content. Even apart from good or bad, it is really difficult to filter what they should or shouldn’t watch. On top of that, they are watching all sorts of advertisements as well.
In one of UNICEF's reports (Children in a Digital World - 2017) they mentioned;
“Digital technology can also make children more susceptible to harm both online and off. Already vulnerable children may be at greater risk of harm, including loss of privacy.”
What do we need?
The answer is simple here, we need to create a platform where we are absolutely certain what they are watching is safe, playful, cultured and educational. Which develops a positive mind aligned with our culture and values. Content creation for kids is a specialized creative area, we have a huge pool of talents to do that but lack of funding and interest. There must be a government funded dedicated TV channel for kids similar to ABC Kids in Australia and CBeebies BBC in UK. New private ventures can come forward and take the responsibility to create safer and cultured content for our next generation.
Conclusion
If we don't heed towards this sensitive matter of what digital content our kids should watch, it will immensely impact our future generations.We should start thinking of well developed playful animated books, locally driven with our own cultural values.
By: Nasir Hussain
