THE DAYS for physical games are gone. Today’s youth are not interested in physical games. Their interests lie either in computers or television. Nowadays, television programmes are replete with reality shows because youth like these most. Unfortunately, in trying to imitate life in reality shows, youth sometimes lose their lives.

Reality shows are dangerous for the nation as by imitating the attitude in the shows, teens are spoiling their lives. Recently a nine-year-old boy hanged himself to death while trying to imitate a stunt he saw on a popular reality show MTV Roadies.

The incident brings into focus a teen issue never before encountered by parents. As we know, besides reality shows, other things like drugs, rock music, teen sex, alcohol and cigarette smoking are also creating problems for parents.

However, in the present circumstances, it is reality television from which they have to protect their kids because its impact is greater than the other problems.

These days, shows like Roadies 6.0, Fear Factor and Khatron Ke Khiladi have become the chosen entertainment diet for teens. In fact, the action has started spilling over to real life.

Easily influenced teenagers, who can’t seem to get enough of adrenaline-pumping reality shows peppered with daredevil stunts, are busy tightrope-walking, jumping off ledges and pulling off crazy bike stunts on city streets.

According to the youth, the best thing about reality action shows is their unpredictability. Every season, they raise the bar and the tasks get tougher. It is this dangerous effect that reality TV has on kids that is sending parents into the panic mode.

In this connection, some parents say, ever since children started watching the show, they have been attempting crazy stunts. Sometimes, those imitating stunts in reality shows are caught. After they are caught, their parents see a great need in not allowing them to watch the show because stunts, abusive language and violent behavior are more or less its theme.

Parents feel helpless as their kids are convinced that these senseless tasks and the violent attitude that accompanies them is ‘cool.’ In this regard, Dr K. K. Kashyap opines, “I caught glimpses of the show when my son was watching it and I was appalled. A contestant was being humiliated mercilessly and he (his son) seemed to be enjoying the whole ordeal she was being put through. When I blurted out my thoughts aloud, he said, ‘She deserves it.’ So it’s not just the stunts that they want to emulate, but also the whole Roadies attitude.”

A ban on such shows or at least a regulatory body that monitors TV content is what parents think will be like utopia. But what’s needed now is a more practical, immediate solution. There’s no use taking a moralistic stand on the whole issue as much as you may be tempted to.

You cannot reason with a teenager unless you step into his shoes and look at life from his point of view. Sit with your teen, watch the show and discuss it. Let him tell you why it’s cool. Hear him out. And then you tell him why it’s uncool.

This way you can meet him midway. Hopefully you’ll know what’s running in his head and he’ll understand why you are worried.

It is also the responsibility of producers and owners of different channels to think twice before making such programmes so that teens don’t go in the wrong direction.