Content Consumption: The Role Of Parents In Shaping Kids

The importance of good parenting cannot be overlooked. From the moment a child enters the world, parents, particularly mothers, play a crucial role in shaping their lives. Parents are teachers, caregivers, and role models. They are responsible for teaching their kids respect, discipline, and all other virtues that are cherished by society. One reason kids turn out to be touts (uncultured) is when the parents fail to play and fulfill their responsibilities. Growing up, my parents were in charge of every aspect of my life. Whether it was movies or books, they always made sure they watched over us. My mom, especially, was strict about this rule. I watched mostly cartoons until I got to secondary school. At that time, the internet was not as bad as it is now. Without a doubt, the internet was safer back then.

In the world we live in today where technology is advanced and the internet has taken a different turn, kids need to be watched with hawk eyes. This is because most of the things on the internet now are unhealthy for their consumption. No place is safe anymore. Social media platforms, movies, books, websites, and even cartoons. The importance of content censorship, especially when it comes to kids should not be overlooked. This breeds the question “Who is responsible for censoring online content, particularly when it comes to children? The owners of the platform or the parents of the children?”

In my opinion, both parties are responsible for content censorship. As I mentioned, nowhere is safe anymore. Not even cartoons. In January, I saw a cartoon trailer on Instagram. The title of the cartoon is “NIMONA.” I'm a big fan of cartoons, so that caught my attention. Usually, when I come across cartoons on the internet, I read reviews about them before watching them. But this time, I was so hyped that I forgot to follow my usual “tradition.” I downloaded the cartoon and watched it with my cartoon buddy. To our surprise, it featured a same sex relationship. Two male characters in a relationship. They even kissed. We didn’t expect to see that in a cartoon. It caught us off guard.

Kids love cartoons. What would they think if they watched two male characters kissing? This is where content censorship comes in. Content censorship is not a simple topic. All hands have to be on deck, particularly the parents. Parents or guardians play a vital role in monitoring their children’s activities. Parents are the best people to know their children. They spend most of their time with them and know their personalities, their needs, and also what they are capable of doing. This is why they are in the best position to keep an eye on what their kids consume.

One of the ways parents can monitor what their kids consume is to draw a firm line. In today’s world where technology has taken over the world, many kids have cell phones. Having a cell phone has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is that kids get access to almost everything on the internet, including unhealthy content. Parents can curb this issue by setting boundaries. It is up to parents to be strict on what they want their kids to consume. They should also read reviews of movies online before allowing their kids to watch them. If I had read reviews of Nimona online, I probably wouldn’t have watched it. Also, there are unhealthy books and content on social media platforms. These areas should not be overlooked.

Also, platform owners have an important role to play. The truth is that most of these owners don’t care about their audience. All they care about is how much money they make. In fact, some of them purposely publish unhealthy and disgusting content just to generate more income. The best platform owners can do is to reduce the unhealthy content (I don’t think most of them would completely stop putting unhealthy content out.” They can also implement strict age restrictions. But kids nowadays could easily bypass that. Unless the age restriction system is very strict.

Summarily, in my opinion, a large percentage of the responsibilities falls on parents. They are in the best position to monitor what their kids consume. Kids should not be neglected, but be watched over with hawk eyes.