Parents wary of Netflix Effect on children

AMMAN — The Netflix Effect has become a familiar yet “negative scenario” in today’s television culture, said a family life coach.

Speaking with The Jordan Times, Shaima Awad, who is a family life coach, said that prolonged television viewing has the potential to greatly influence people’s behaviour and attitudes.

“Having a healthy balance is important for all of us not only our children,” Awad noted. 

She added that parents should monitor their children’s activity and make sure they watch content that is appropriate to their age.

Netflix and other popular streaming services expose young Jordanians to violent dramas, and might endanger the mental state of young people, Nada Omar, a mother whose 16-year-old son is an avid fan of Netflix, told The Jordan Times.

“Binge watching Netflix movies and shows is becoming something popular and worth bragging about among teens and young viewers in Jordan, and that is a saddening reality,” Omar said.

Being a Netflix subscriber has become “a status symbol” for some young people and television viewing styles are changing these days as people can watch their favourite shows on their phones, tablets and laptops, she added.

Psychologist Munthir Aboushi also raised alarm about the “dangerous trends” Netflix movies and shows might bring to people’s lives. 

Aboushi told The Jordan Times that due to Netflix and other on demand entertainment services, people, especially young viewers, sometimes avoid sleep just so they can watch new episodes of their show, which can disrupt sleep patterns and negatively affect sleep quality.

He also said that the increased viewing of all media can lead to behavioural problems among youth in particular and “certain shows make them more likely to approve behaviour that we do not accept in our culture”. 

Zein Zaid, a Jordanian mother of three, said that the age limits Netflix set on its movies and shows should be changed.

“Most movies on Netflix include inappropriate and mature content, that is why I turn on parental control,” according to Zaid. 

She said she is planning on subscribing to a different streaming service.

There are many harmful and problematic shows on Netflix, but at the same time persons can choose the type of content they are watching such as documentaries, cooking shows, family shows or comedy movies, Adam Mohammad, a 14-year-old, told The Jordan Times over the phone.

“Netflix and a couple of other applications have become alternatives to the traditional cable television.  And these days everyone is expected to have a Netflix subscription,” he said.