The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : MMS scandal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 24, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

MMS scandal

Sir, — The MMS scandal involving a schoolboy has raised several questions. In a world that has truly become a global village, thanks to the Internet and cell phones, parents have a more responsible role to play. Teenagers in nuclear families with no one to turn to get carried away easily. Many schools focus exclusively on academics, paying little attention to effective counselling of adolescents. The only way out is for parents to spend their free time interacting with their children instead of watching boring television soaps.

N. Sivaraman,
Maraimalainagar, T.N.

Sir, — The editorial, `Use and abuse of the Internet' (Dec. 23), has started a healthy debate. Porn or no porn should be decided by the common man and not by a bunch of bureaucrats. Adolescence goes downhill when there are too many restrictions. In such cases, sex education becomes a must.

Sriram Varadharajan,
Pasadena, California

Sir, — I am shocked by the action of the police and appalled by the reaction of some readers to the MMS "scandal." The only thing the schoolboy can be accused of is his foolishness in taking cell phone images and sending them to his friends. Now I read that he is being ordered to undergo counselling. Instead of treating this as a case of teens being teens and exploring their bonds and relationships, we are criminalising them. Now that is a scandal.

Krishnan Viswanathan,
Tallahassee, Florida

Sir, — The influence of cinema and television on our impressionable youth cannot be underestimated. I recently watched a TV programme highlighting the activities of pickpockets in Delhi. Later a neighbour's son wanted to know how to join the pickpockets as they were making about Rs.1 lakh a day according the programme!

Shankar N.,
Chennai

Sir, — What is the necessity for school students to carry cell phones? These days most school and college students own mobile phones, obviously given to them by their parents. Instead, parents should spend quality time with their children and teach them how to use their energy and talents positively.

Alice Marcus,
Tiruchi, T.N.

Sir, — The arrest of the CEO of baazee.com not only demands an urgent review of the existing cyber laws but also draws attention to how our police system functions. The police would rather arrest a high-profile person against whom they have no case than do honest work to apprehend the real criminals.

S. Charuhasan,
Chennai

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