No kidding, New York fall-out is here

Anjali Malhotra

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 17. Time stood still for millions across the world as they watched the horrifying images of the 110-storey World Trade Centre twin towers in New York crumble before their eyes on television. That was last Tuesday.

Now this Tuesday, a week later, picture this: The towering lengths of glass and steel replaced by wooden blocks and the gigantic planes which smashed into the towers replaced by miniature plastic models. But follow the same sequence of events. The blocks come tumbling down as the plastic miniatures come crashing. The only difference: the pilot here in New Delhi is two-and-a-half-year-old Tanmay.

Ever since little Tanmay saw the twin towers collapsing on the TV screen, recreating the scene has become his ``favourite'' sport. What most adults perceive as one of the most terrible attacks on humanity is no more than a game for him.

This, according to Dr. Sandeep Vohra, seasoned psychiatrist, is a ``normal reaction -- children usually try to copy images that they see on TV''. But he warns: ``Constant exposure to such images might inculcate feelings of aggression among children. Emotionally also such exposure has a negative impact. For instance, after the massive earthquake in Bhuj which received a fair share of media coverage, I treated several children who were unable to sleep for fear of another quake.''

``Children,'' adds Dr. Vohra, ``are very susceptible to influences from their environment. The way things stand today, it seems America will be involved in a long drawn conflict with terrorist groups. And as children see more such incidents of aggression, they will sense that the solution to any problem lies in fighting.''

``Such visual images which portray aggression, violence or destruction definitely have a negative impact on children. Gruesome images evoke strong reactions -- emotional, psychological, physical -- and impact the thinking of a child. This impact may not be manifested immediately but can crop up any time,'' says Ms. P.N. Vasanti, Director of the Centre of Media Studies here.

The best way to deal with children exposed to such images, Dr. Vohra adds, is through discussion. ``To ensure that your children come to terms with the situation, talk to them. Answer their questions with honesty, but gently. However, if a child turns unusually silent and displays signs of emotional disequilibrium, switch off the TV.''

For eight-year-old Naushera, the horrific images on the screen are simply that: images. ``I don't think he has really understood the situation. It is something that has happened on screen and not in reality. Though he is curious about what happened and why, he has not really sensed the gravity of it all,'' says his mother.

Says Ms. Vasanti: ``While a normal reaction in such a scenario is a feeling of fright and insecurity, I have noticed that children these days find it difficult to assimilate the situation, probably because they have often seen such images on TV. For most of them, the images are no more than a Hollywood show.''

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