The BBC’s new promo, The Square-Eyed Boy, speaks of something very special.
It is not the mere quantity of media which a child consumes which matters – it is the quality.
This is a timeless value of public service broadcasting and the principle applies equally to adults.
Spend a life consuming fast food, junk TV and it is a life wasted.
But is time spent consuming content which informs or stretches the imagination time wasted Of course it isn’t.
Rather it is about the overall role consuming media plays in someone’s life.
If a child is dumped in front of the TV merely as an electronic childminder, then there is little benefit and the potential for harm is obvious – lack of socialisation can have lifelong consequences and inactivity adds to the risk of being overweight or obese.
But if a good proportion of that content informs or stimulates in one way or another – and where a responsible parent ensures the off switch is used and the child does plenty of other things too – then what’s the problem?
A wider view of the world. New hobbies and interests stimulated. The empathy which both drama and real life stories can bolster.
This is not about being miserable. There’s nothing wrong with watching individual cartoons or the kind of stuff that’s simply candyfloss in itself if it’s simply to relax after a hard day at school.
But here’s the problem.
Good children’s content remains under threat. The financial pressure facing the BBC cannot help.
And while children are masters of online and catch-up services, that makes it harder for them to simply chance upon content they maybe didn’t think they’d like.
CBBC is expected to become an online only service in the not too distant future, in the wake of the impending closure of CITV as a linear channel.
When this happens I cannot help but feel a very large linear shop window needs to be devoted to CBBC content on a linear channel.
The Saturday morning window on BBC Two has its place.
But is there merit in giving CBBC a late-afternoon slot on BBC Two once the dedicated channel closes?
The ratings won’t be massive – but they are pretty low at that time on Two anyway.
I increasingly wonder if there is a principled case for reversing the changes in 2012 which saw regular CBBC content exiled from the main channels.
Children might feel stakeholders in a major channel again.
Parents might be more aware of the range of content the BBC produces.
And it’s easier on a “curated” linear service to ensure children are offered the traditional rich mix and not just cakes and ice-cream.
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: This Is Our BBC promotion. COPYRIGHT: BBC.