Ajyal Panel Explores Effects of Media Violence on Children

Doha, December 01 (QNA) - A panel of industry experts explored the effects of violent content depicted in media and video games on children in the final session of the inaugural Ajyal Youth Film Festival, presented by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) held at the Katara Cultural Village here. The panellists from the fields of policy, production, psychology, regulation and acting discussed how to reduce the amount of violence and access to inappropriate content that children have. During the session, chaired by Qatar's Head of Theatre, Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Saad Bourschied, the panellists discussed the need for laws and legislation, enforcement of regulation and who's responsibility it is to monitor the media content children are watching. Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage Director Sheikha Najla bint Faisal Al Thani discussed the rise in video game sales in the country. She highlighted the positive and negative effects this medium can have on the younger generations. Suggesting there is still work to be done to ensure that parents choose the right games for their children to play, she said, "Different public workshops should be held that would allow families try to identify which games are most useful for children's development and enjoyment, and which are most damaging, characterizing them in terms of age groups." Arabian Actress Huda Hussain advocated protecting children from violent content. "Children are being desensitized to violence because they are becoming more receptive to it," she said. "Video games being played are no longer about winning, they are about killing the other player and because of the amount of time they play games or watch television, they are beginning to live in isolation, spending less time together as a family." Concurring with this view, Psychology Consultant Dr. Khalid Hamad Al-Muhanadi, said, "Emotional intelligence is important, we are not educating our children emotionally to deal with the what they learn from television shows, they are unable to read and write their feelings. "Self-censorship and self-control is the way to go, as a family you need to have control of what your children are watching in your household," he recommended to the audience at the Katara Opera House. UNESCO Programme Specialist Venus Jennings, highlighted research that suggested that media violence can have a different effect on children depending on their family background, where they grow up and how old they are. "Studies have shown that highly aggressive individuals are more affected by violent behaviour and that family conflict has been positively associated with watching violent content and violent electronic games." Ali Al Rayes, General Manager, Joint Programme Production Institute, GCC discussed the institute's philosophy that guides their internal approach for content production, "None of us has a magic wand to counter balance violence towards children, we all need to work together to fight violence, whether it is physical or psychological," he said. Moments Entertainment Director Firdoze Bulbulia used the African Charter on Children and Broadcasting as an example of how important it is for producers to use the available guidelines and resources to help them when making children's programming. "Media is a very powerful tool to educate young children. We have a responsibility to help them deal with the reality of violence," she said. Bulbulia gave the audience and industry a clear call to action, "We now need to find friends and work together to share experience across the different regions. If we can work together, we can enhance quality media content for children across the globe." The five-day Ajyal Youth Film Festival, which concluded here Saturday, builds on the DFI's history of community-based programming. (QNA)