Recently there was a video that went viral where 3 little girls are dancing to Samantha’s popular item number ‘On Antava’ at, what looks like a wedding. At first glance, you will find the video to be the ‘ cutest thing you would see on the internet’ but then it strikes you, do kids need to be performing songs such as these at a public function? Isn’t this a way we unknowingly sexualize the little ones which could have serious implications? Is being relevant and popular on social media more important than a child’s safety? Can we please let kids be kids?
The movie industry is meant for entertainment, yes. The songs that are meant to go viral are heard by everyone, adults and children. While the children may not entirely understand the meaning of the song they are dancing to, the parents most certainly do. With suggestive lyrics, pelvic thrusts, sensual expressions and bold dance moves, the children start to mimic what they see. A song such as the one in question is a titillating dance number which is not meant for kid viewing. From viewing the song to getting them to perform on it, from it going viral to celebrities sharing and appreciating it, have we lost our sense of awareness? Does no one understand how a ‘cute’ video could become the most threatening thing for a kid.
Are we, as a generation, failing to understand the consequences of these actions? Social media started for leisure but now has purely turned into a marketing platform. So everyone is trying to sell, everyone is trying to go viral and everyone wants their content to reach millions. Nothing wrong with that, it is meant to be a platform for all of the above and more. But what we aren’t paying attention to are the people who are sitting behind these phones who could be predators. As adults, we are fully compliant with what we share on social media. But putting our kids out there without understanding the dangers related to it is a risk not worth taking.
Kids dancing and thrusting to songs that are meant for objectification are what these predators are actively looking out for. We must be more mindful about these things. What you might think of as a ‘harmless dance video’ might be fodder for those pedophiles sitting on the other side of the phones.
We feel emotional when we watch a film or a documentary about child sexual abuse. Siddharth and Nimisha starrer Chithha was one of the most important films to release last year. Everyone appreciates the initiative and applauds Siddharth’s speech about starting a conversation about the sexual abuse of women and children. But we scroll and move on to the next reel, which ironically could be of a kid dancing to songs inappropriate for her age and stage. But do we react? Does it bother us? Or will our conscience feel something only where things have gone too far?
The problem of child abuse is rampant across the world. It’s a topic that no one openly talks about, and it’s so common that it’s disheartening. How have we brushed this under the carpet for so long? Did you know that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in every 8 boys have been abused sexually?
The statistics might seem alarming but the truth is scarier than fiction. Let’s be more cautious about the kind of content we consume, share and even upload.
