With the growth of the Thai economy we have seen a phenomenal growth in the home entertainment sector. This has steered a controversy regarding the appropriateness of its content. Many parents are asking the Ministry of Culture to act as a watchdog, determining what is and what is not appropriate for juvenile audience.
For Thai people, this is a serious matter that affects their society and the future generation both alike. In a survey regarding this, people were asked some questions, like; do you think TV producers should show more responsibility by improving the content of their product? Do you think the TV audience should have the right to view whatever is made for them and it's the responsibility of parents to guide their children as to what is appropriate or not? Or, do you think the Ministry of Culture should intervene with television programs? And why? Here are some opinions:
Thippawan Sudasna Na Ayudhya, a businessman said, “You know there are still many people in our society who refuse to face up to reality. What we see in many Thai TV soaps are what we’ve seen and experienced in the realities of life. For me, parents play a leading role in a child’s development in all aspects. Stand side-by-side with your child and teach him which part of the program is good and bad. Intervening with the program doesn’t help improve the situation. It’s the way to fix the problem. It would be unreasonable to stop the program.”
Tina Ratta, a writer said, “Parents have to take the burden to stop their children from seeing all these TV program. If the producers were so well-versed about children being in the audience, they would never make such soaps. As well, we should not forget the backing of the producers and the sponsors who welcome such type of soaps. The responsibility falls on the shoulders of parents who are the ultimate victims. The Ministry of Culture can take action by editing the soaps. Ultimately, parents can set their children’s television viewing habits and explain to them that certain things are not made for children.”
Souvanit, who is a consultant said, “I am glad someone raised the issue of the appropriateness of the content in TV soaps. The parents were right in asking the Ministry of Culture to act as a watchdog. It is not possible for parents to be with their youngsters all the time to guide them what to watch. Where are the family values and morality in many of the programs? Apart from the Ministry of Culture, the TV producers should also share the responsibility. One way could be to put programs with improper content late at night, perhaps after 10pm. If TV programs are not reviewed prior to airing, we could end up having a society with more young kids exhibiting improper behavior. I suppose one can turn it off if one does not want to watch such programs. But the problem is one would have to fight with other members of the family for the remote control.”
