Focus: Interactive television

What is interactive television? It is programming that allows the flow of information from broadcaster to viewer and back.
You can choose to order food, request songs, post messages, pause live programmes ... the list is endless.

However, it also invades your privacy because every time you click, you are providing information to a database that builds your profile.

Some of the channels have highly sexualised content to attract greater viewership. And who are the easiest targets? Children. What do our readers say about this disturbing trend? Read on and find out.

Interactive television channels should have censorship ratings.

Interactive television is a result of celebrity culture; it is a strategy that can capture everybody's eye. I think when it comes to censorship; it is part of the television network's responsibility to check their programming. Every show should have a tag line stating if parental guidance is needed.
Jomarkirk See Manaois
Dubai

It would be good to have censorship ratings, if that can be done. In this way at least we would be able to decide which programmes you can watch with your family and which you shouldn't. It would make a huge difference.
Mohammad Rafi
Dubai

I am happy with the channels and the programmes aired. I do not see any need to have censorship ratings at all. What the channels show is the truth - what happens around us. It is wrong to blame the channels for anything that one does not like.
Priyesh Pillai
Dubai

I don't see any reason to have censorship ratings. These things can help only to a certain extent, at the end of the day it depends on the viewers. They have the freedom to decide what to watch and what not to watch. It is better that they decide for themselves rather than someone telling them.
Joby Antony
Dubai

Parents need to place child locks on vulgar television programming.

Placing child locks will prevent children from viewing perverted shows. However, the onslaught of technological revolution, like the internet will allow children to access indecent sites and download vulgar television clips.

Therefore, the key is not in placing locks, but in creating awareness and developing the right attitude in children to help them sift the good from the bad.
Subhasis Mukherjee
Gulf News Reader's Club member
Dubai

Yes. They need to go to such extents mainly because these days if children happen to watch programmes that have vulgar content, they get easily attracted to the ideas presented and might follow what they see. So one way to avoid your children from imitating the wrong things is to lock such
programmes.
Susan Lepiten
Dubai

I think that parents do need to place child locks. I mean look at the kind of programmes that are aired; most of them propagate all the wrong notions. By placing locks, at least parents will be able to prevent their children from learning the wrong things.
Mustafa S.
Dubai

Yes, I think they need to place child locks because children get a lot of their information from television and will continue to do so, looking at the way technology is going.

In such a scenario, it is the duty of the parents to ensure that their child does not receive wrong information and let that influence his or her decisions.
Mitch P.
Dubai

Sexualisation of entertainment cannot be stopped.

Although sexualisation in entertainment is hard to stop, it can be contained by efficient monitoring of different media by appropriate regulatory restrictions. Subtle sexual connotations will always exist.

The degree of sexualisation can however be reduced by punishment and by discouraging the offenders with stringent disciplinary measures. It's a Herculean task but not impossible to achieve.
Walter D'Mello
Dubai

Anything that hampers the wellbeing of a society can be stopped. Although, this cannot be stopped completely, but it can be reduced to a great extent, provided stern action is taken.

Strict censorship ratings, spreading cognisance in society and conducting seminars in schools and colleges would prove to be quite beneficial. But the most prominent aspect is the perception of people in society.
Roshni Ahuja
Dubai

Well, whether this will ever stop or not, people will always find a reason to complain about something. Now that it is here, they are complaining, tomorrow, when it won't be, they will still complain.

This is also because society is not just all black or white; it has shades of grey in it. I think that in the end, it is completely up to the viewers to choose.
Clinton S.
Dubai

I don't think sexualisation can be stopped simply because we like to watch beautiful people and this won't stop. So, as long as we humans cannot fight off this instinct to look at things that are attractive, sexualisation in entertainment won't stop.
Liz Ramos
Dubai

There should be awareness campaigns in schools.

The open education system, from the schools to the home is the only solution for this. Western influence has had a great impact on sexual entertainment.

Schools are the only place where children can be given a broader sex education. Media also should have a moral responsibility towards society.
Anil Kumar Vasudevan
Dubai

It would be a good idea to have awareness campaigns, as children like to sit in front of the television and then they watch anything and everything that is aired. Such campaigns would guide children and help them decide what to watch and what not to watch.
Kerstein Poell
Dubai

Yes, that would definitely help the children. It is important that they learn how to differentiate between right and wrong from an early stage.

In fact, why should only the schools be doing this, it is the responsibility of parents more than the schools to teach the rights and the wrongs. I think that not just schools, but parents, too, should make it a point to talk about such topics.
May B.
Dubai

Yes, yes definitely. Schools always advise on the rights and wrongs and students do give it a thought. So awareness campaigns telling them what is right and what is not for their age is a good thing. I definitely welcome the idea.
Mahmoud Salloum
Dubai