Lam Thye answering question during a press conference after a courtesy call on Rosli (right) at the Pahang police headquarters. — Bernama photo
KUANTAN: The widespread reach of films and dramas containing violence has been identified as one of the factors leading to the increase in acts of bullying among school students.
Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) vice-president Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said today’s teens preferred such films, and more stringent rules in terms of film censorship should be introduced in this regard.
“Today’s teenagers are increasingly keen on watching violent films, they are easily influenced, and feel that the violence showed in the films is a way to solve problems,” he said.
Lee said this during a press conference after a paying a courtesy call on Pahang police chief Datuk Rosli Ab Rahman at the Pahang police headquarters here yesterday.
He said even though film censorship was carried out, adolescents could still look for alternative ways to watch the movies, such as through video compact discs (VCDs) or via the Internet.
In that regard, Lee also urged parents to play a role in educating their children, so that they could distinguish between the good and bad.
Another important factor in handling bullying, he said, is to ensure that adolescents do not get themselves entangled in negative peer pressure.
“MCPF believes that all the factors which cause bullying can be overcome with the cooperation of all parties such as the Film Censorship Board and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in monitoring violent films.
“For parenting skills, there are relevant ministries that can help. As for negative peer influence, this can be managed by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the respective State Education Departments,” he said.
Lee said the MCPF also felt that the issue of bullying should be discussed at the National Social Council comprising ministers and academics and chaired by the deputy prime minister, to seek long-term solutions.
He said this was to avoid the ‘issue being discussed only when it occurred’, and often too late to deal with it, as recent cases have shown, when such acts led to the victims’ death. — Bernama