14 February 2019 - The decision of the Agency for Electronic Media of Montenegro (AEM) to ban programs that potentially can be harmful to children came to the approval of the Montenegrin public.
Nevertheless, correspondents of the News Agency Dnevne novine point out that this ban should be applied consistently, and that parents continue to play a key role in protecting children from harmful content.
The Executive Director of the Association, Kristina Mihailović, notes that an inappropriate content on television, which is becoming more and more popular, can send children a bad message that this harmful behaviour is acceptable and desirable. "It is known exactly what the children should look at and what is prohibited under certain conditions. The fact is that these contents are harmful and that we should be especially careful about this, "says Mihailović.
On the other hand, Mihailović highlights that there is still the effect of the Internet and that this prohibition cannot protect the children from harmful content. "It is not realistic that such a decision will make the children stop looking at all content that is not appropriate, but then again, it will, in some way, create an impression that such content should not be displayed in the first place. At the organisation Parent's corner, we talked about this subject, and the psychologist explained that when a parent starts explaining to the children why something is forbidden, that can also be the reason to start a discussion about something that is not a regular subject between parents and children. Certainly, the inappropriate content must be a reason for a talk between children and parents, because in this story the parental role is crucial, "Mihailović said.
Sociologist Mirjana Popovic, however, believes that the ban on the broadcasting of inappropriate content for children is necessary, especially in the context of the society in which we live, "in the context of the penetration of quasi-liberal social values".
"Perhaps the prohibition, as a prohibition of broadcasting, would be undesirable if the media would offer different contents of educational, informational material intended for children, but these contents are very few, even not broadcast, or again when they carry the title “for children”, their content is often not adequate" Popović said for Dnevne novine.
The psychologist of the Examination Centre, Zorica Minć, told DN that she was looking forward to the decision of the AEM, because this decision, as she explains, is a sign that it is necessary to review and ban some content that is being broadcasted every day.
Source: TVCG
