Moot held on `Impact of Media on Youth'

ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a seminar `Impact of Media on Youth' held at International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI)highlighted various positive and negative impacts of media on the minds of youth.

Ali Moeen Nawazish and President NYA, Hanan Ali Abbasi delivered lectures as keynote speakers at International Islamic University, Islamabad. The Dean of FMS, Dr. Bashir Khan welcomed speakers and shed light on the topic.

It was a well-attended lecture composed of degree classes'students and multidisciplinary researchers of department ofManagement Sciences.

The president National Youth Assembly, Hanan Ali Abbasi, said, "we all know that everything which exists in this world have positive as well as negative aspects. So, we should try to take good thing and avoid negative things."

Discussing the role of media he said, "Media is like a newly-born baby and whereupon negligence in some matters can be expected naturally, however, it oughtn't to be overlooked but correct them. The media should define a mechanism of self-accountability.

It has also been observed that literature has affected due to the excessive depiction of glamour in media.

Hanan informed, "The Supreme Court of India declared the airwaves and frequencies a public property on 1995, which was indeed a guiding verdict."

He reflected, "Media has been proven to affect not only today's youth but the majority of the world's population. With television, radio, advertising, movies, the Internet, newspapers, magazines and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the media affects youth in numerous ways." Hanan coerced to redefine media policies and enforce media regulation in order to cancel out the negative impacts.

One of the most important things that media does for the youth is keeps them informed and engaged as well as encourages them to move in the right direction. However, there are many other who would also insist that it has done more harm than good, especially to the youth.

He further added, "Media, also known as the fourth estate, isone of the most influential factors in today's world and the agegroup that it has affected very gravely is the youth. It has played an instrumental role in defining the ways in which the youthconduct themselves and live their life. We have to adoptconstructive use of social media."

While discussing downsides of the media, he said, "Media has also affected our youth, to a great extent; negatively. There is unhealthy competition in almost all aspects of life. The youth today is so anxious to get all comforts of life over night that it would do everything and anything good or bad right or wrong to achieve this goal.

The media plays an integral role in adolescent development. Some 76% of aggressive and violent behavior was demonstrated after excessive television viewing according to a study."

However, today's youth can be positively affected by the media. The Internet has enabled easy access to knowledge and is an increasingly helpful tool for exam revision as well as self-help guides.

Ali Moeen Nawazish said that media had entered into a golden era of history, and in imminent elections its significance role would come to limelight.

The average teen spending almost four hours a day watching TVand over 2 hours a day on the computer, it is difficult not to be exposed to a constant barrage of adverts.

YouTube and Facebook have recently places ads before, after and even during songs. This may encourage mass consumerism amongst youths. (APP)