Misuse of electronic media - Problems and solutions

Even cartoons, which are made especially for children, have indecency.  They have plots involving romance.  Childhood is such an impressionable age, that everything the child sees is imprinted in the mind and the heart.  Whatever the child listens to, he/she starts repeating it.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has instructed us to take special precautions for children so that their minds are not polluted.  He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has instructed us to separate the beds of the children when children reach the age of 10.  As given in the following Hadith:

Translation: You order your children to offer Salaat when they reach 7 years of age.  At the age of 10, punish them on not doing so and separate their beds.  (Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 495)

Even though at the age of 7 the Shariah is not binding on them, for their instruction and training, they should be ordered to offer Salaat and other forms of worship so that performing worship becomes second nature to them and they acquire the habit of standing before their Lord Almighty and prostrating before Him.  If at the age of 10, children are careless about Salaat, they should be dealt with strictly and should be beaten lightly.

In the same Hadith, the orders of separating their beds i.e. making them sleep separately, is also given.  This shows that not only they should be taught good deeds, but also precautions should be taken to save them from all forms of indecency so that children grow up with chastity and virtuousness.

There are no two opinions about the fact that regardless of religion, race, community, every person realizes the importance of instructing the children in morals and ethics.  If there are no morals it will surely result in corruption, quarrels and even fights in the society.  Families are separated and bad traits start taking root in children themselves.  Reformation of which is impossible except with virtuous character and true ideology.

It is very important that along with teaching children high morals, they should also be protected against bad traits and habits.  They should be saved against sexual licentiousness, lewd gazing and movie watching.  If children fall prey to any of these habits, especially watching movies, it will no doubt hurt their religion and the inward aspect of their being (Batin) will also be tainted but apart from all this the children will also be debased in the eyes of the world.

If by watching cartoons, our children start entertaining sexual thoughts at that young an age or start loving the semi-nude dresses, it is not entirely out of question that by the time they reach adulthood, they will be on the brink of the abyss of moral anarchy.  These buds will lose their fragrance even before they turn into fully grown flowers.