Don't make a child wear a shirt that's too big.

(Baonghean) - The influence of the media has turned children into worldly experts in the adult realm. They lose their childhood and put on oversized adult clothes. It's all a calculated move by adults.

Arts and culture are an indispensable source of spiritual nourishment for everyone, especially children. In an era where outdoor playgrounds are shrinking to make way for skyscrapers, children's recreational activities are also diminishing. Recognizing this, television stations and media companies are actively exploiting reality TV competitions for children.

Purely speaking, it's good, helping children live in a healthy environment, confidently communicate, and integrate into the community, instead of sitting glued to computer and phone screens. However, not all programs are humane. Driven by profit, adults have turned children into money-making machines and inadvertently transformed them into different people.

The Voice Kids Vietnam program (illustrative image).

The success of The Voice Kids Vietnam. From its very first season (2013), it received much praise but also considerable criticism. Due to the lack of rules and song classifications, the young contestants freely sang adult songs indiscriminately. Songs expressing love for grandparents, parents, homeland, and country were unquestionable. However, it was regrettable that the show allowed children to sing songs about romantic love.

Just look at these children with their innocent faces and tiny bodies, yet they're so engrossed in lyrics overflowing with love and affection – it's quite shocking. In the first season of The Voice Kids Vietnam, while runner-up Phuong My Chi performed songs like "Ru Lai Cau Ho" (Lullaby Again); runner-up Tran Ngoc Duy sang "Song Tinh" (Waves of Love); and winner Nguyen Quang Anh sang "Da Trong Chong" (Stone Waiting for Her Husband). All were mournful songs about love between men and women, and between husband and wife.

Parents are even more shocked by the "Kids' Celebrity Impersonation Show." This program requires young contestants to imitate big stars. Seeing children standing on stage in the role of another character has caused many parents to worry. They fear that their children will grow up to be mere copies without creativity. Why teach children to imitate others instead of showcasing their own talents? Shouldn't we always encourage children from a young age to develop their thinking and creativity so that they can be "different" in the future?

So why let children keep imitating this person's voice, that person's style, and this person's image? Because even if they imitate well, they are only a shadow of someone else and will fade over time. Not to mention, in the "Familiar Faces" program, there are scenes of male contestants impersonating girls, wriggling and dancing in a very comical way. The most unpleasant example is in Vietnam's Got Talent 2014, where young Duc Vinh tried to writhe and act like a flirtatious woman. What will children learn from this "imitation" playground?

Children are like tender buds on a branch. Just a gentle breeze can cause them to stumble. Therefore, let children live according to their age through healthy and beneficial play. Especially during childhood, personality, character, and habits are always shaped; therefore, don't force children to pretend to be boys or girls, contrary to their gender, as this can negatively impact their psychology and physiology in adulthood.

Cong Trung