I’ve been reticent to comment on the Playschool debate because I didn’t see the controversial program where a little girl was shown with her two “mums”, who just happened to be a lesbian couple.
For overseas readers, Playschool is a popular television program for children aged up to about six. It was running when I was a kid and it’s still going strong today.
The furore over the lesbian segment was just dying down when the national broadcaster, the ABC, showed another child on Playschool dealing with divorce.
Playschool isn’t on my must-view list (although it may be when the twins are a year older) so I’m again hesitant to comment on specifics, but I will make these general observations.
Playschool is a program for young children. It’s meant to be entertaining and educational in the sense that it teaches kids about the alphabet, numbers, shapes and colors, etc.
It’s not meant to be like “60 Minutes” and offer social commentary, or a reality show that provides life skills for toddlers. It shouldn’t be a soap opera or drama that covers social issues from different angles. The audience is captive and unsophisticated. They can’t and won’t make judgements about what they like to watch.
The ABC knows this. It also knew the two segments in question were politically, religiously and socially controversial. Where will they draw the line? Will there be a program for kids teaching them how to use guns safely? Will there be a segment on weight loss for fat kids?
What was the ABC’s motive? I suspect they were pleased with the publicity this issue generated. Perhaps they wanted a showdown with the government.
For parents, it means we’ll have to watch the whole show with our kids to censor bits we think are inappropriate. There goes the half hour mum might have had for a coffee break or rest.
Playschool has survived over the years because it sticks to a tried and true formula. It should forget about the social commentary and entertain in a way that promotes basic learning.
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