On October 2, 2018, I reached out to the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. My letter highlighted the urgent need for parental guidance and content ratings on TV programs for children. Many shows broadcasted lack age-appropriate warnings, exposing children to inappropriate content like vulgar language, violence, and negative portrayals of family and gender roles. This issue, I argued, required intervention in line with practices in any civilized society.
The Commission had previously acted on complaints about specific shows. However, my letter urged them to address the issue more broadly and proactively.
I sent the letter both by email and post. Unfortunately, the Commission seemed inefficient in handling correspondence. After multiple follow-ups, they finally acknowledged my letter on March 19, 2019.
Since then, I heard nothing. The context of my initial concern evolved, especially with the pandemic altering media consumption patterns and the internet’s growing influence on children. I had almost forgotten about the letter.
To my surprise, on October 10, 2023, I received a response from the Commission. They acknowledged my concerns and agreed with my perspective. However, their response also touched on issues of dressing and moral policing, which were not part of my original concerns or my intentions.
They issued the following order:
ടെലിവിഷന്‍ ചാനലുകളില്‍ സംപേക്ഷണം ചെയ്യുന്ന സീരിയലുകളിലെ കഥ, തിരക്കഥ, സംഭാഷണം എന്നിവ കൂടുതല്‍ മെച്ചപ്പെട്ടതലത്തിലേക്ക്‌ ഉയര്‍ത്താനും സാമൂഹ്യയാഥാര്‍ത്ഥ്യങ്ങളുമായി യോജിച്ചുപോകുന്ന വിധം മാറ്റങ്ങള്‍ ഉള്‍ക്കൊള്ളിച്ചുളളവയാക്കി മാറ്റുന്നതിന്‌ ആവശ്യമായ നിയമ നിര്‍മ്മാണം നടത്താന്‍ കേന്ദ്ര-വാര്‍ത്താവിതരണ പ്രക്ഷേപണ മന്താലയത്തെ സമീപിക്കുന്നതിനാവശ്യമായ നടപടികള്‍ സ്വീകരിക്കാന്‍ എതിര്‍കക്ഷിയെ ചുമതലപ്പെടുത്തി ഉത്തരവാകുന്നു.
Translation:
The defendant is directed to take necessary steps to approach the Central News and Broadcasting Ministry to make the necessary rule-making to bring the story, screenplay and dialogue of the serials broadcasted on television channels to a better level and make them inclusive of changes so as to be in harmony with the social realities.
The defendant in this case is “Government Secretary, Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Kerala”
This response, didn’t fully align with my original request, which focused on parental guidance and content ratings. I’m not very hopeful about further action on this matter.
I wanted to share this publicly, for the record.