Making TV Child Friendly

Television is a significant part of our children’s everyday lives. On the average, Filipino children spends five hours a day in front of the television, more the time consumed in going to school. Television has been blamed for children’s obesity, loss of interest in outdoor games and lack of motivation in studying and doing homework.

To ensure that television programs serve the best interest of children, the International Charter of Children’s Television was drafted in 1995 during the World Summit on Children and Television in Melbourne Australia. The Charter is anchored on the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child which identifies childhood as a special time of life in and of itself and recognizes children as equal human beings. The charter was adopted by the Philippines in 1997. In the same year, through Republic Act 8296, former President Fidel Ramos declared the second Sunday of December every year as the National Children’s Broadcasting Day. The act mandates that television and radio stations shall allot 3 hours airtime to programs for or about children which promotes positive values and enable them to exercise their rights to freedom and expression.

Also during this time, the Southeast Asian Foundation for Children and Television confer the Anak TV Seal Awards to child-friendly and family-friendly television programs. Started in 2000, the Anak TV Seal program awardees significantly escalated from the first 15 programs to the 97 awardees this year.

The awardees are determined from a nationwide survey conducted to various stakeholder including parents, educators, business and media people, government, media, NGOs, the religious sector an youth of programs (local or foreign produced) whether they are child-sensitive or not. A panel of 3,000 jurors from multi-sectoral groups composed the First Panel of judges while the Secondary Level Jury screens these programs if it has moral slant, artistic merit, and educational content, cultural relevance, among other qualifications. The selection is completed when the board of SEAFCTV, composed of network presidents and general managers, decided on the final entries to give awarded. Winners of the Anak TV Seal can display the logo during airing as a guide to parents and educators that the program is approved by various stakeholders nationwide.

“We have managed to keep afloat because of the sheer drive of dedication from the staff, volunteers and supporters of the Anak TV Seal, who are in unity for the Filipino child,” says SEAFCTV president Edgardo Roces, who was very grateful with the support of Negros Navigation, Columbia’s, PLDT, MyJuiz, Splach Corporation, Rebisco, Hallmark and Panasonic.