The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has recommended that children below the age of seven years be not allowed to participate in reality shows on television channels.
This was decided at a meeting of Commission here on Tuesday. “The final decision on several other recommendations would be taken in a couple of days,” NCPCR chairperson Santha Sinha told The Hindu .
The recommendation would be forwarded to the Union government within the next two weeks. The NCPCR has been working on violation of child rights on reality shows for the past two years.
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“We have agreed on fixing the age at seven years and this would be applicable only for reality shows, which are run on a daily basis for long stretches of time, unlike in the serials and films where the roles are smaller,” Commission member Sandhya Bajaj said. “Reality shows are really stressful for children.”
The age limit was suggested by child psychologists present at the meeting. The NCPCR is yet to decide on monitoring of all television shows as the issue falls under the purview of the Ministries of Labour, Women and Child Development, and Information and Broadcasting.