Negative impact of movies on youth

What better way to get rid of boredom than watching a movie? Gone are
those days when television used to have only countable channels. In this
day and age, one can just switch on their laptop, phone, or smart
television, and thousands of movies are available at their disposal. The
idea of having so many alternatives sound fascinating. But are all
movies good?
To get an answer to that question, we need to understand how big an
impact does movies have on us. Books give us the power of imagination.
When we read the words, the imagination is left to us. Movies on the
other hand bring words to life and provide us a visual of every situation.
Despite there being guidelines, some movies still show us a lot more
than should be shown. Especially with children, many things that have
become normalized in today's cinema, do not belong there in the first
place. This includes the usage of drugs, the portrayal of sex, offensive
language, violence and so much more. While movies can also act as a
source of knowledge, not everything shown in movies can be absorbed.
Children learn by observing, if whatever accessible to them teaches them
positive things, they will absorb it. But on the other end of the spectrum,
they will also absorb every negative thing that is shown. It does depend
on perception and how a particular child takes it. A majority of children
though, try to copy the actors. In such a case, an actor taking drugs, or
indulging in crime, may not prove to be a great influence. A famous
piece of poetry "Television" warns parents not to install the 'idiotic
thing'. It says that children get hypnotized by it and become drunk with
all the shocking ghastly junk.
Many children cannot tell the difference between what is appropriate
and what is not. For such a child, watching movies with violence in them
might make them feel that it's a normal thing to do. Statistics have
shown that many children, by the influence of thriller or crime-oriented
movies have had a tendency towards being aggressive.
When poorly made films with unnecessary obscenity and romantic
scenes are seen by young boys and girls. It has all kinds of different
impacts on them. Some boys, listening to those catchy yet problematic
songs, believe that how the hero chased the woman he liked, is normal.
They think that's how one declares their love. The volumes of eve-
teasing cases inspired by Bollywood, humming to the tunes of those
songs are astronomical.
In a shocking and unfortunate incident, an Indian man in 2015 was
arrested in Australia on the count of harassing two women. His lawyer,
defending him in court, said that the man was innocent and only did this
by the influence of Indian cinema. He escaped conviction as the court
agreed that Bollywood movies do contribute to and support such
behavior. This is an alarming issue. It is high time we understand how
problematic the portrayal of certain serious issues in some movies is.
There is no denying the fact that modern cinema is changing and
evolving every day. Mostly for the better too.
So, what can you, as a parent do to minimize the negative influence of
movies on children? Firstly, we shall make our children aware of the
correct image. If children know the right and the wrong, the negative
influence will dramatically decrease. Make sure what your children are
watching and consuming is appropriate for their age. If not, make them
understand why. They might watch what is forbidden if they do not why
the ban was imposed in the first place. Be open to discussions with your
children. Attend their questions about what they saw in the movies. If
there is no open dialogue and things are concealed, they might get
influenced easily.
In conclusion, Television and movies do influence children and their
way of thinking. This influence is not always negative, but when it is,
you should make sure you're there for your children to discuss and make
them understand.