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Television

Research has found that children spend an average of three to four hours watching television each day. In a 65-year lifespan, that means s/he will have spent nine of those years in front of a box. With these statistics, we realise that children spend significant amounts of time in the fictional world, engaging with this virtual world often more than they do in the real world. It suddenly becomes worrisome when you begin to realise this fact and understand the implications. Television viewing is harmful to the intellectual, psychological, and social development of children. Even more frightening is that children may be harming their souls at a very young age; often never to recover their purity and wholesomeness again.

Dangers to Intellectual, Psychological, & Social Development

When a child is born, s/he possesses all of the brain cells (or neurons) that s/he will have for his or her lifetime, although these cells are not yet fully developed. This progression occurs early in life through interaction with others, stimulation from the outside world, and the love and care of a parent. Television has actually been found to be harmful for the process, not allowing the brain to complete its full development. This is because television viewing is a passive activity, not an active one. The American Academy of Paediatrics has itself provided a warning that children under two years of age should not be allowed to watch any television, primarily for this reason. Much of the development occurs early in childhood, but it does continue into adolescence, so this applies to children of all ages.

Watching television also means that a child is not doing something else. Reading, interacting, and experiencing are important for a child’s learning. When a child watches television, s/he is obviously not engaged in these activities. S/he is not actively using his or her abilities, not being creative, not socialising, not playing, and not reading and memorising the Qur’an. So much time is wasted in a useless activity. This means that s/he may not reach his or her full potential in these critical areas. This may also have a negative impact on schoolwork and functioning in school. Children who are the most successful academically have been found to spend most of their time engaged in fulfilling and constructive activities. Television was not included on that list. We need to teach our children that positive and constructive use of time is very important and is actually a part of being Muslim.

Dangers for the Soul

The dangers of television for the soul are many. The most obvious is the diversion from worship and remembrance of Allaah. Through its entrance into the mind and heart of the child, television has the capability to cause serious damage to the soul. A person who watches a great deal of television is less likely to pray on time (if at all) or to join the congregational prayer. Staying up late for viewing causes the person to miss the dawn prayer. There is little time for reading of Qur’an, and so on. Imagine the outcome in the hereafter for a person who spent nine years of his or her life in front of television versus the one who spent those nine years in worship, reading the Qur’an, and acquiring Islaamic knowledge – an amazing difference.

In addition to the time that is lost to meaningless pursuits, there is also exposure to countless un-Islaamic values and practices. Most of these are very obvious, while others are more subtle. Some of the more obvious include social mixing between males and females, inappropriate dress, aggressive and unacceptable social behaviour, lack of respect for authority, celebrating of non-Muslim holidays, and so on. It would be useful to recall that television programming is prepared mainly by non-Muslims. That means that the values and morals that are displayed are usually far from those that a Muslim family should have.

For children, the real threat lies in the fact that these values begin to be internalised and become a part of the personality structure. Children begin to assimilate and integrate material that they are presented into their thinking patterns and view of life. They often accept new information without question because they have not yet acquired the critical thinking skills of an adult. This means that what they see on television (and from adults around them), they come to accept and believe as truth and reality. Young children, in particular, have a difficult time separating fantasy from reality, so they perceive what they view to be real and good. Through a process of desensitisation, the behaviours that are displayed come to be perceived as normal and acceptable.

In addition, television is probably one of the most influential ‘modelling’ tools available. Children imitate what they see from others around them and from the media. This means that they not only integrate the material into their thinking patterns, but that they also begin to act it out in their behaviour. Research has found, for example, that children who watch aggressive models on television tend to be more aggressive themselves. The reversal of this process is inevitably very challenging and difficult. The most effective method for dealing with this type of threat is to avoid exposure as much as possible from the beginning.

Another danger of television is the concept of materialism, the foundation of many industrialised societies. Materialism is the belief that pleasure and material aspects are the most important values and goals in life, taking priority over spiritual principles or objectives. The aim of most mass media organisations is to entice the general population to spend as much money as possible in order to make a very small group of people wealthy (or wealthier). Television programs are put together with the conscious attitude of promoting a consumer society; and this is exactly what happens through television advertising. Children become concerned about getting the latest and ‘hottest’ commodities and products, which leads to a lack of concern about those less fortunate, and about higher values and goals. As Muslims, we need to be cautious about the trap of materialism, especially in countries with high material standards of living, and we must teach our children that which far exceeds wealth in terms of rewards and benefits.

Exposure to various forms of disbelief and polytheism is the most perilous aspect of television viewing. When one begins to analyze the material available to children these days, it becomes clear that much of it includes outright polytheism, while others have more hidden forms of disbelief and polytheism. We see human or “superhuman” beings given strength, control and power that belongs to Allaah alone. Whether it involves fighting wicked forces or ridding the world of evil, these beings are most often ascribed abilities that were never given to them by Allaah and are for Allaah alone (of course, most of the characters are fictional, anyway). This power often means controlling the whole world, and there is no mention of a Greater Being in the whole process. Oftentimes there is use or mention of magic, which is a form of disbelief and polytheism.

When children are exposed to these ideas on a constant basis, they begin to believe that 1) they can rely upon other forces or beings to get what they want in life, 2) there are forces as powerful as Allaah, or 3) there is no God. In many ways, a form of worship of these beings or forces takes place, especially in connection with the materialistic aspect.

Dr. ‘Â’ishah Hamdan
Nurturing Îmân in Children, pgs. 199-202

November 28, 2009 - Posted by Abu-Tayeb Khairdeen | Television | iman, Television