'Films could mislead children into violence and drug use'; recommendation to include Education Department representative in censor board

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The General Education Department is preparing to make a recommendation to the government requesting the inclusion of its representative in the Censor Board.

This is based on the assessment that film scenes that trivialize cruel acts instill a sense of violence, cruelty and addiction to drugs in children. The department also assesses that such films create the impression that such evil acts can be imitated.

The report with recommendations will be submitted to the government immediately after the SSLC exams, Director of the General Education Department S. Shanavas told Kerala Kaumudi.

"It has been found that films, reels and social media are also behind the influence of petty acts like ragging on school children. In this situation, awareness at the school level alone will not be useful.

Many films that are released without considering the fragile psyche of children will make the future generation violent. The Director of the Department of General Education also said that the lack of online censorship is a threat to the future of children," said the Director of General Education Department.

The department decided to recommend including a representative in the Censor Board in consultation with experts and counselors in this regard.

"This is a good decision. Cinema is the medium that has the most influence on the minds of children and adolescents. Children are likely to quickly slip into addiction and violence. Therefore, it is essential to include a representative of the Department of General Education in the Censor Board to remove scenes from films that are harmful to them."

Dr. Arun B. Nair, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram