I recently discussed my experiences with weaning my kids off the TV. Yeah, I know, it really shouldn't that hard. Just throw the stupid thing out!
I know some families who have done exactly that. Kudos to them, I say. One day I hope to do the same.
But then I see these same folks giving their children free reign on the Internet. I see them buying their kids hand-held video games (Nintendo DS, PSP). I see them buying them fancy cell phones. I see them buying them iPods.
What in the world are they thinking?!
This attitude exposes their shallow understanding of the evils of the TV. Or their shallow understanding of their children's Tarbiya (spiritual development).
They hear all the talk of rejecting the TV and they obediently throw it out. But since they haven't heard any lectures condemning netbooks, Facebook, cellphones, and iPods, they mysteriously figure those items must be okay.
Huh?!
How is tuning into Youtube any different than tuning into TV? How is it any better having your kids glued to the laptop instead of glued to the TV set? What do you expect to teach your kids with their ears plugged into MP3 players or fingers texting away on cellphones, WHILE YOU'RE SITTING IN THE SAME FREAKIN' ROOM WITH THEM?!?!
Do you seriously need a fatwa to tell you that this other stuff is just as harmful for your kids as a television set?
I guess some people just need to be spoon-fed their religion.
(Sigh)
Someone please find me a fatwa against the new iPad before these folks buy one for their kids. :-/
Musk, Goodwin, racism and rape
5 days ago
5 comments:
I was reading some terrible stats about how 'glued' kids really are to technology. I think one of the stats was something like usage of 8 hours a day. The world, as it is today, is filled with information overload - it's just a bombardment of news, information, etc - and if you, as the individual, don't take a stand and CONSCIOUSLY cut down or stop, then you'll just get steamrolled by it. There was a good article in Al-Jumuah magazine a few months back - which dealt with this exact thing.
I read your previous article, and it's an issue we haven't had to deal with much yet (our daughter is 8 months old). At home, we largely avoid exposing her to TV. I think in future we'll probably need to give her some, at least - so that it's not a case of deprivation (which can cause her to over-indulge at other people's houses / somewhere else she can watch TV).
When she visits relatives, unfortunately, we can't tell them to turn it off...and they have it on a LOT of the time :(
I completely agree. As a 16-year-old, it really sickens me to see my peers 'plugged in' non-stop. I was talking about this with a friend the other day and she said that she is *always* talking to someone - on the phone, on FaceBook, through SMS - literally every waking hour of the day. When then do you have time to talk to yourself? When do you have time to talk to God?
The problem with texting, the internet, and - I cannot believe you forgot to mention this one! - video games (especially portable) is not only the possible exposure to haram content, but also the potential for wasting a huge amount of time. This is especially sad when it is allowed to occur during a child's formative years.
But these things ARE a part of our lives - and in fact many amazing things can and have been accomplished with the aid of said technologies (well, maybe not the video games) - so I think that the solution is not to deprive kids of these things completely, nor is it right to let them loose completely. Rather, it is important to teach them control - and that is the really difficult thing!
I know I don't have children of my own, but this issue matters to me, because controlling my media usage has been an ongoing struggle for me.
AA-
@DL, I hear you bro. Its seriously frustrating dealing with all these devices that artificially trigger the children's senses. I wish I could just cut out all this crap and force my kids to live in the 'real world'.
"I think in future we'll probably need to give her some, at least - so that it's not a case of deprivation (which can cause her to over-indulge at other people's houses / somewhere else she can watch TV)."
And its precisely because of this issue that we've decided to allow controlled access to TV, movies, and the web.
Too bad.
@Anon, Good points, especially about the video games, which I did mention (PSP and DS). :-P
"so I think that the solution is not to deprive kids of these things completely, nor is it right to let them loose completely. Rather, it is important to teach them control - and that is the really difficult thing!"
As I said to DL above, its a darn shame that we have to expose our kids to this crap just so we don't 'deprive' them.
I wonder how come we don't accept this approach with other vices like sex, drugs, beer, etc??
Like I said in my post, I know some families who've completely done away with the TV. And their kids are surviving (but that could be due to the other devices that have replaced the TV)....
But I'm seriously tempted to deprive my kids of all this junk and replace it with real activities (like playing in the parks, talking to each other, etc.)
Not really sure...
Salaam everybody,
As a parent who currently doesn't own a TV I can personally say it's very hard to completely cut media influence from our kids' lives these days. I allow them to watch their DVD's on their DVD player and allow my daughter to play internet games for a very limited amount of time during the day. As far as completely cutting even these things out of their lives, I have yet to try it.
But the way I see it there is a difference between limiting (but not eliminating)media influence from their lives, and keeping them away from forbidden actions (sex, drugs, alcohol). With the forbidden actions kids cannot engage in those until they're past puberty (when they're technically now an adult in Islam). They'll thus be old enough to understand why these actions are forbidden, the consequences of doing them, and how we as Muslims should avoid performing them.
With an action like watching TV, I equate with other actions like eating junk food and wearing fancy clothes. None of these actions are forbidden in Islam so it's allowed for one to perform them within limits. And people of all ages engage in these actions including children.
With kids if you were to cut them off from performing these actions outright (like watching TV, eating junk food), you'll have to explain to them in a clear and understanding manner why you did that. And that's the hard part because unlike teenagers, explaining things to young kids takes alot of effort and creativity! Simply cutting them off without helping them to cope with the loss may make them resent you (same goes for teenagers too of course). And you know what they say forbidding something without explanation makes it more attractive to kids! Like junk food kids deprived of TV and other media when they're young may go crazy with doing these things when they're old enough to "get away" from you you know?
Besides that I do find that some media influence can serve as a teaching tool (like someone above already stated). There are now more ways to spread Dawah through these tools today than ever before. Just a few days ago my husband downloaded a Harun Yahya book teaching about ants.
As for what you said about some parents not knowing how to monitor how their kids use other forms of media and communication (cell phones, internet, etc). I agree with you that parents should always find out for themselves what kids do with these things these days. But I also have to say that not all parents are capable of doing that (I'm thinking recent immigrant parents to the West who may not be aware of all the issues surrounding these things here with regard to kids). That's why I think scholars should also investigate and come up with the proper Islamic rulings for these things as well and help parents navigate through the issues arising from the way their kids may be using such things.
nah they just need to be fed some common sense.
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