أثر الأسرة في تشكيل التفاعل الواعي مع وسائل الإعلام

[1] –
– محمد عبد الرحمن الحضيف، كيف
تؤثر وسائل الإعلام: دراسة في النظريات والأساليب، مكتبة العبيكان، الرياض، 1998:

30- 45.

[2] – Francis M. Abraham, Modern Sociological
theory: an introduction. Oxford Press, Delhi, 1980: 209-210.

[3] – William Goode, The Family, Prentic-Hall,Inc., Englewood Clffs, New
Jersy, 1964: 2.

[4]–
www.kau.edu.sa/Postgraduate/Thesis.asp,Id=520&Dept=&name= بدر أحمد كريم

[5]– www.kau.edu.sa/Postgraduate/Thesis.asp,Id=520&Dept=&name= فوزية محمد
القحطاني

[6] – هزاع بن سعيد الشهري،
التلفزيون والتنشئة الأسرية، رسالة ماجستير غير منشورة، جامعة الملك سعود، 1986.

[7] – file://c:/Documents and Settings/xyzMy
Documents/mass Media and Parents Protection05-02-2007.

[8] إبراهيم
ناصر ودلال استيتية، علم الاجتماع التربوي، جمعية عمال المطابع التعاونية، عمان،
1984.

[9] – محمد عبد الرحمن
الحضيف، مرجع سابق، 1998: 66-76.

[10] – سليمان العسكري،
القيم والإعلام، بحث مقدم إلى المؤتمر الثقافي العربي السابع، جامعة السلطان
قابوس، مسقط، دار الجيل، بيروت، 2002: 153-199.

[11] – زكريا الشربيني،
يسرية صادق، تنشئة الطفل وسبل الوالدين في معاملته ومواجهة مشكلاته، دار الفكر
العربي، القاهرة، 2003: 152.

[12] – كافية رمضان، أنماط
التنشئة الأسرية السائدة في المجتمع العربي، حولية كلية التربية جامعة قطر،
الدوحة، 1995.

[13] – نبيل محمد
السمالوطي،  المنهج الإسلامي في دراسة
المجتمع: دراسة في علم الاجتماع الإسلامي،دار الشروق، جدة،1980:     :137-151.

[14] – Talcott Parsons and Robert F. Bales, Family
Socilization and Interaction Process, The Free Press, New York, 1955: 16-17.

[15] – محمد عبد الرحمن
الحضيف، مرجع سابق، 1998: 26-27.

[16]– Sven Whlroos, Family communication,
Cntemporary Books, Inc., New York,
1983.

[17] – محمد عبد الرحمن
الحضيف، مرجع سابق، 1988: 52-53.

[18] – سورة آل عمران، آية 110.

[19] – سورة الإسراء، آية 36.{mospagebreak title=english version}

The Influence Of The
Family In Shaping Informed Interaction With The Media

By Dr. Fatthia Hussein
Al Qurashy

The society puts its trust in the family, being the most
important educational institution, to preserve its identity and control the behavior
of its members to establish security and stability.  Many educational institutions aid the family in
this role and are expected to work in a supportive and integrative way to
achieve the continuity and balance of the society. 

Currently, we have many educational institutions but they are
fragmented and they do not work in an integrated way together.  It became more apparent that there are
contradictions between what these institutions disseminate and what the family teaches
its children through the process of social upbringing.

The media plays an important role in educating people and reaching
beyond the different sub-cultures of one society.  In addition, some of the ideas and concepts
broadcasted by the media contribute to the availability of a common cultural
focal point, as such it is able to control the behavior of the individual and
direct it to achieve the developmental goals of the society at both the social
and economical level.

But, at the present time, the media became one of the
educational institutions that cannot be controlled or directed because it transmits
material about cultures from outside the society.  A good portion of the media strives to
achieve commercial goals and interests to individuals and institutions who do not
care about different cultural and ethical values. Those values not only
distinguish the culture of the society, but are also common elements in
religions and cultures of different human societies. 

While the media is expected to contribute to the shaping of a
cultural focal point where all society members come together to achieve their goals,
we find that many satellite channels allow the broadcast of various ideas and behaviors,
and even values that are so different from each other and are the main reason
behind conflict and division.  There are
no standard for the range of ideas and concepts which the media broadcast and
if these ideas and concepts spread around, they may threaten the values of not
only the local society but the entire human societies.

Below are some positive and negative impacts of the influence
of media over individuals[1]:

A-               
Change in Positions or Trends:  This is not limited to people and issues, but
it also includes some values and behavior patterns where we see a shift in
position or trend. This shift means going from an amicable state to a hostile
state, or from perceiving things as strange, to accepting them or even have an
appreciation for them.

B-               
Knowledge Shift: This has more
influence than the change in trend because it changes the way how people
perceive life around them. It may offer different methods of success that do
not conform to reality or prevailing concepts.

C-               
Social Upbringing: All media
messages aim to remove a value and install another, or strengthen an existing
situation and weaken another.  This
happens when the media broadcasts certain models that may contradict with the
social and economical needs of life that the family may be trying to adapt its children
to them and to the rules that govern the methods of fulfilling such needs.

D-               
Emotional Arousal: The media tries,
on purpose, to arouse the feelings of resentment, mutiny, hatred and loyalty by
focusing on scenes of violence and sensual arousal to facilitate directing those
feelings to a point where it can control the ideas and actions of individuals.

E-                
Social Control: This works through
forming a unified public opinion and trend directed towards a situation, value,
or behavior until it becomes part of the society’s culture that forms its
control.

F-                
Editing Reality: The media
deliberately portrays certain aspects of reality and conceals another, so that
what appears on the media seems to be the truth and the reality of a society.
It also determines the pattern of the situation, people, and roles. Thus, the picture
may be appear either idealistic or not very realistic; or an exaggeration of
events or minimization of it.

G-               
Consecration of the Reality: it
happens through endorsing and glorifying current situations, or predominant ideas
or certain models or personalities. 

Now comes the importance of research on the influence of the
family in shaping informed interaction with the media. This can be expressed in
the following questions:

1. What are the
   important characteristics of an informed interaction?
2. What is the
   role of the family in shaping the informed interaction with the media?

Many analyses referred to the importance of the influence of
media on individuals in different fields. 
Moreover, the results of a number
of studies emphasized the importance of the role of the media in directing the behavior
and forming perceptions. Nevertheless, most of these analyses and studies tend
to ignore the social environment through which the media influences
individuals. As the psycho-social theory emphasizes, the behavior of individuals
is not merely a reaction to situations; but, it is a result of their ability to
understand the meanings behind the symbols and interpret the reality or situation.[2]  In addition, such studies do not present the
types and manners of a positive informed interaction with such media. On the
other hand, the family can do so, as it is considered a polishing, effective
and suppressing medium between the individual and his cultural and social
environment.[3]

Some of the Most Important Studies made in the
Past:

As an example from several
studies in this field, we list below a limited number of studies around the
nature of the influence of the media:

The Role of the
Media in Changing the Habits and Values of the Saudi Society.  The
study was conducted over a random sample of (248) persons living in the village of Khalis. The study used the social survey
method. The results showed that the Saudi radio broadcast contributed to some
extent in developing the society under study. The radio linked the society with
the social growth and development within the framework of the comprehensive
development plans of the society. Moreover, the radio performed religious,
social, educational, cultural and entertaining functions suitable for different
ages and categories. It revealed that the Islamic religious programs
broadcasted by the Saudi radio formed a suitable framework enabling the change of
harmful habits and support the positive habits and values.[4]

The
Television and Changing the Structure of Values. This study was conducted on a chosen sample of
children’s programs, using the method of direct observation of the (local and
foreign) television programs. The study also conducted limited individual
interviews with samples of (200) students from four private and public schools.
Through the analytical description approach, and analyzing the content, the
most important results of the research showed that the television had positive
effects, as it develops the personality of the child, helps solve the problems
and helps the child to acquire sound social values. It also increases the sense
of belonging to the country, teaches the children the techniques of dialogue
and discussion, broadens their imagination and provides useful information.

The results also
showed that the television had negative impacts on the children such as the
diminished interest in reading and learning violence and aggressiveness.[5]

Television and Family Upbringing. Through applying the content analysis and
analytic description approach on a random sample of families living in the city
of Riyadh, the
results showed that 78.6% of the fathers, 87.4% of the mothers, and 88.4% of
the children spend most of their spare time watching television. This means
that all family members spend most of their spare time watching television. The
results also showed that watching entertainment programs come in first place
for the parents.[6]

Media and the Parents: Protecting Children from
Harm. The researcher, together
with a research team, reviewed hundreds of studies on the effect of scenes of
violence on the behavior. They found that such scenes have three harmful
effects:

1-               
It allows the adoption of aggressive behavior
and trends.

2-               
It desensitizes the feelings, making children less sympathetic with the
victims of such violence.

3-               
It increases the children’s feelings of fear.

The researcher tested how far effect number (3)
above is correct.  He asked students at
the first year of university on whether they felt afraid, and for how long, after
watching a violent television scene or movie. The sample was to respond using a
“Yes” or “No” answer. If they answer “Yes”, they had to give an explanation.
The results showed that (96) of (103) students answered “Yes”. Many of them
wrote in detail how they experienced repeated nightmares, hallucination, and
continuous mental recall of the images of such horrible scenes.[7]

Review of past studies:

Upon reviewing the influence of media in a
number of studies, in addition to what was presented above, it seems that in
spite of their importance and the importance of the issues they bring to the
table showing that the educational functions are not integrated, but they all
seem to have almost ignored two important issues:

1.                 
Interaction between the people and media
happens through two dimensions: one is quantitive and the other qualitative.  It also happens under certain conditions and
situations that have a great effect in determining the quantity and quality of
this interaction and its consequences.

2.                 
The family is considered the most
important upbringing institution through its role as a transferring, suppressing, refining, medium for culture, the surrounding
environment and its members.

Even though the family lost many of its
functions, this allowed it to be more effective in the remaining functions. The
most significant of these functions is the social upbringing and the emotional
support for its members, since there is a mutual effect between these two
functions. This effect forms, in its entirety, the nature of the family’s role
as a refining, suppressive, and effective medium of the cultural and social
influences affecting its members. Hence, this role shapes the interaction and
realization of the family members for such influences.

There is what is considered to be a negative
undirected interaction that happens between individuals and the media in unclear
circumstances, with one party having control over the other without equivalence in influence and response.

There is what is considered to be a directed,
controlled and positive interaction that happens between individuals and the
media in clear circumstances, with each party affecting the other to achieve
the desired benefit of such interaction.

The change of the structure of the role of the
family, the fact that the parents are busy and that the family lives
independently from the extended relatives, may limit the time the parents spend
with their children and affect the quality of interaction and the means of
bringing up their children. The family faces some obstacles in competing with the
media in bringing up the children, due to the availability of the media in
various forms, and the development of the various influencing methods for such
media.

Psycho-social theories emphasize the importance
of awareness and perception as a means of interpreting what we face in our
environment, in a way that reflects how we are affected by it and how we
respond to it.

These theories were criticized for assuming
that the person is capable of interpreting situations in a logical way to
achieve his welfare; because the factors that drive actions and perceptions
differ from one community to the other and from an individual to the other.
Therefore, it is expected that families will have different perceptions and
interpretation of the existing means of public communication. Consequently,
some families do not give much weight to social traditions and values, thus
they do not care about their role in maintaining or transferring such values to
their children. They do not mind what affects the children’s upbringing and allow
them to be exposed to all influences from within or even from outside their
societies. On the other hand, there are families who pay great attention to the
social traditions and values and insist on transferring them to their children.
As a result, they make every effort to avoid all factors that are expected to
weaken such values, or limit the extent of their influence on the behavior. These
families may exaggerate it further by isolating their children from the social
and cultural environment outside the family. Both types represent the two sides
of the spectrum of family upbringing.

When the person is forced to interact with an
issue, he uses certain techniques in his relationship with the issue.  Such techniques are: avoidance or keeping
away from the influence.  Avoidance may
be difficult when it comes to media because it is wide spread and it comes in
many forms. Also, the children are exposed to it at educational institutions or
through indirect means by listening to accounts of events from their peers in a
more exciting and thrilling way.

Below is a presentation of a number of
realistic examples of the interaction of families who are characterized by the
most important characteristic of interaction with media, i.e. informed
interaction. The results are measured by the success achieved by these families
in keeping their children away from the negative influence of the media, in
spite of the presence of this media in various ways. This was based on the concept
of informed interaction, which includes perception of the nature of mutual
influence and how it can be controlled and directed to achieve the desired and
acceptable goals on both, the public and personal levels.

Realistic Examples of Informed Interaction with
the Media

Since social upbringing is a process that takes
place in a direct and indirect way, and as the nature of interaction with the
media has become an important focus point in the upbringing process, we will
present below a number of examples of informed interaction with the media. We
shall concentrate on some of the important characteristics of the family, the
social and economic status of the mother, the nature of relationship between
the parents and their relationship with the children. The mother will also be
given the opportunity to describe how she was able to protect her children from
the negative influence of the media.

First Model:

A family of eight, all children are excelling
in their studies. They are keen on praying and performing all religious duties
in due time, in addition to extra voluntary worship. The family has an average income
and the parents have high occupations. The parents’ relationship with each
other is stable. Although there are some different standards between the
parents, their priority is the interest of the children and their satisfaction.
They counsel with them, and make use of different methods of upbringing
including telling stories, role modeling, giving examples, direction and preaching
them.

The mother said that the television and
internet connection are only in the living room. Although there are many
satellite channels on the TV, they use the remote control to change to another
channel when some scenes unaccepted by religion and tradition are broadcasted.
The remote control is often used by any of the children, either the boys or the
girls. Furthermore, the channels that are inconsistent with the cultural rules
of the society are permanently blocked.

When scenes which are inconsistent with the
cultural rules are broadcasted, the mother comments and interprets them conveying
the disapproval of what is broadcasted, as most of it is not real, saying that
it is a broadcast of imaginative or odd cases to attract the audience and polarize
them.

It was noted that the mother was against
allowing many satellite channels; however, the father insisted on them as the
children requested. The mother is stricter when it comes to the social
standards, as she is keen on disapproving what is inconsistent with the
religious and cultural rules. She also presents many models and tells stories
to remind the children of the importance of adhering to the social and
religious rules. On the other hand, the father specifies for the children the
time of watching the television. Both parents are interested in watching the
news and cultural programs.

Moreover, they did not allow the internet
service for the children except after enrolling in the university and for doing
their homework.

Second Model:

A family of seven with the parents brought up
in a conservative environment. All the children are excellent in their studies
and keen on performing prayers in the mosques, in addition to other voluntary worshipping
duties. The parents have average income and professions. The relationship
between the parents is good and they agree on most principles. They practice
various methods to bring up their children.

The mother stated that the television is in the
living room only. Although it is always on during the evening hours before
sleep time, but that the parents are the ones who control the use of the remote
control. They blocked the channels specialized in broadcasting odd content and
are inconsistent with the religious rules. When some scenes unaccepted by the
religious law are broadcasted, they change to another channel. The parents
prefer watching the cultural and religious programs and always dedicate time
for discussions. Furthermore, the children help in the housework, as the mother
is not keen on hiring a maid. The parents set the time for sleeping and
watching the television. They do not allow the internet service for the
children except after they enter university, for studying purposes.

None of the children is allowed to be separated
from his siblings to meet with his colleagues during spare time. The two boys
spend their leisure time during the weekends with their cousins who are brought
up very much in the same manner.

Third Model:

A family of five, who belong to a relatively
higher social and economical echelon. They spent a long time in a western
society. The children are excellent in their studies and perform the prayers in
the mosques. The parents specify for them the time for watching the television.
One day a week, they give them freedom to whether watch or not watch
television. The television is in the living room. The parents are keen on
providing entertainment to their children and have an on-going dialogue with
them. Although there are satellite channels, the ones that are inconsistent
with the religious rules are blocked. The parents prohibit the use of Play Station
at home, but they are only allowed to play with it when they are visiting their
relatives. The parents are keen that the children memorize the Holy Quran at
schools. The children are not allowed to spend their leisure time with anyone other
than the relatives.

The internet service is made available for the
children at an early age. However, the mother does not allow the children to
hide the passwords for their emails from each other or from their parents. The
mother expressed her annoyance of the relatives’ involvement in the bringing-up
of their children in their homeland. She resists, with difficulty, the
children’s feelings of dissatisfaction, and the relatives’ advice to ease off
the restriction of having a variety of media and the times specified for
watching.

Fourth Model:

A family of eight that belongs to a conservative
environment. The father is old and jobless. They rely on the salary of the
eldest daughter. The children excel in their studies and perform the prayers in
due time. It is notable that they are brought up in a strict way; and their
needs are greatly cared for. The parents use various bringing up methods, the
most important of which is the encouragement, presenting models, telling
stories, in addition to direct instructions. The parents abide by the religious
rules and social traditions. They only have local television channels. The
children are allowed to play with the Play Station; and they help in the
housework. The internet service was made available only for the requirements of
university studies. They are not allowed to go out and meet their colleagues
outside the school setting.

Analyzing the Examples of Informed Interaction
with the Media:

Although the presented models of the informed
interaction with the media are few, they reflect the parents’ concern regarding
the issue of the influence of the media on the children. The methods used by
the families and the way of applying them differed, however, they are similar in
using various methods of upbringing. The mothers are strict and caring for the
children’s needs at the same time. Apart from their peers at school, the
children are not permitted to mingle with anyone outside the family perimeter. The
parents, especially the mothers, agree on controlling the children in watching
the media. This includes observing and controlling what may affect the stability
of the children’s personalities and their success.

It seems that preventing the children from mingling
with their peers (one of the groups that have the greatest effect during
certain age)[8] outside
the school protects them from the effect of the scenes conveyed by those groups.  It also protects the children from being
subject to the negative media from which the parents are keen on protecting
their children.

Conclusions

Based on the concept of informed interaction with the media
and presenting some of the case-studies and analysis related to the nature of
interaction with the media, we provided limited examples of families whose children
were not negatively influenced by the media. This was measured against the
children high achievement at school and their commitment to their
religion.  Now we have to determine the
nature of informed interaction between the family and the media through
determining some of the important characteristics of this interaction. This
includes defining the nature of the situation and the methods used by the
family.  This allows us to consider that
these types of families have a positive and informed interaction with the
media.

Informed interaction with the media consists of six
dimensions or indices that are supposed to work in an integral way:

1.                 
Recognizing the presence of the negative
and positive aspects of the family’s exposure to the media.

2.                 
Acknowledging the impossibility of
avoiding the exposure of children to media in its various forms, whether
directly or indirectly.

3.                 
Recognizing the importance of using
various up-bringing techniques to face the negative influence of the media on
children.

4.                 
The presence of some degree of agreement
between both parents in their views about the media and how to address it.

5.                 
Being keen on providing emotional support
to the children as a complementary function of social upbringing.

6.                 
Resisting the broadcast of content that
is in breach of social and religious values, and human ethics whether in the
local or international media and to positively participate in the content and
the methods used by the media.

First: Recognizing the presence of the negative and
positive aspects of the family’s exposure to the media.

Some families see that some media contain negative
implications and ideas that can mislead anyone who is exposed to it. They
formulated this opinion relying on what is broadcasted in many programs, movies
and series that contain violent scenes, deviation from social norms in addition
to the wasting of valuable time that could have been spent in studying which
will make the children more knowledgeable. 
This is confirmed by a number of analyses and studies that were later ratified
by scientific experiments that learning through role model and observation is
one of the most dangerous functions of media because they resort to attracting
attention and avoid giving direct instructions. Such instructions are usually
far from being exciting and thrilling and lead to boredom. [9]

No doubt that the recognition of parents of the nature and influence
of the media on the children imposes on them a duty to teach their children how
to handle it and to accustom them to analyze the media messages in light of the
reality, standards, social and human values.

Second: Acknowledging the impossibility of avoiding the
exposure of children to media in its various forms, whether directly or
indirectly.

The media is diffused in the homes in many different ways. No
home is free from a number of media elements. 
It has become a necessity to own some of these media in response to
requirements related to education and work. 
No doubt, its spread allows the verbal circulation of ideas and behavior
broadcasted since its viewers talk about the events and situation they see in
very different ways that may be even more exciting and thrilling from the way
it was originally broadcasted. 
Therefore, the attempts to avoid it are futile, inconsistent and on
going since it has become a persistent evil.[10]

This involves the availing of appropriate environment for
dialogue and to develop critical thinking to intervene with what the children
are watching, in addition to monitoring their reaction and controlling the
media messages they are exposed to.[11]

Third:  Recognizing
the importance of using various up-bringing techniques to face the negative
influence of the media on children.

The integration process aspired by the family upbringing may
be hindered by the fact that the media shares the delivery of messages with the
family, especially if the message sent to the children by the media conflicts
with the message the family wants to send to its children.  While the means of effect used by the media are
varied, many families use one or two means only in raising their children in a
deliberate way.  A number of families may
ignore the importance of using various educational methods.[12]

The Islamic culture includes various methods and examples for
bringing-up children that people can use as guidance. The families have to
realize the importance of using various methods and not concentrate on direct
instructions. They also need to integrate all these methods. For example, the
parents should not instruct or beat their children to prevent them from doing
something (such as watching a TV show or movie) and then they watch it
themselves. This conflict limits the effect of family instructions and the
values that target behavior.  The family
may be successful in controlling behavior through one or two means, but they
cannot seed values in their children except by using different and integrative
methods.[13]

Fourth:  The
presence of some degree of agreement between both parents in their views about
the media and how to address it.

The stability of the family provides for good functioning in
positive and supportive conditions. The differences between partners are the
source of family disputes which come up in various areas. The most common of
them is the dispute around how to raise the children and the method used.

The family has a distinctive feature that the media doesn’t
have, which is the continuity and a certain degree of stability in instructions
given by parents. But the differences between the parents on the importance of
media, availability of channels and the way of dealing with this method gives
way to some ambiguity in the situation and the lack of standards thus
minimizing the educational role, regardless of the source.

No doubt that once the parents realize the negative and
positive aspects of the media, they acknowledge that they cannot avoid it or
avoid its influence. As a result, they use various integrative means for
raising their children thus unifying their position toward this particular
media.  This way, the parents will have
an informed and selective interaction with the media in support of their
upbringing techniques which will achieve their goals, as well as exclude anything
that conflicts with the family and social values and goals.

Fifth:  Being keen
on providing emotional support to the children as a complementary function of
social upbringing.

The family remains to be the expected source for emotional
support and fulfillment of the psychological, physical and knowledge needs, thus
contributing, in a major way, to the stability of personalities of the members
of the society[14]. A
number of analyses around the methods and conditions in which media exercises
influence over its audience, revealed that the audience is exposed to the media
message in a very selective way: either to fulfill implicit or explicit desires
such as obtaining information, entertainment, social interaction, or to determine
their identity[15].  This should get the family’s attention to
know the needs of the children and recognize the individual differences in them
as well as age differences. They should also try to make available the suitable
educational and entertainment methods to fulfill the children’s need for
exploration and entertainment.  Families
must also dedicate enough time and provide a safe environment for dialogue and
discussion of concepts and ideas[16].

Some analyses refer to the importance of social life as an
influencing factor on the ability of media to influence its members. The media
uses social and economic conditions and all areas of deprivation and discuss it
as well as presenting it to the society[17].

Since security is one of the most important needs for the
human race, thus the family has an important role in protecting their children
from watching scenes that will develop a feeling of fear and insecurity in
them. The family may prevent the children from being exposed to life patterns
that may lead them to deviation, face punishments, or lack the necessary skills
to financially secure their future.

Sixth:  Resisting
the broadcast of content that is in breach of social and religious values; and
human ethics whether in the local or international media and to positively
participate in the content and the methods used by the media.

Every society has a general culture and a sub-culture. Both
cultures have common important elements to form the identity of the society and
maintain its balance and stability.  Human
societies feature cultural controls that restrain behavior in order to achieve
continuity, stability and growth for the societies.  Since there are huge differences in the
ability of families and societies to limit the influence of the media that is
not compatible with the culture of the society as well as contradicting its
stability and growth, there are great probabilities that these messages may
have direct or indirect impact on the individuals and society as a whole.  Many studies confirmed this influence.  Islam has a lot of teachings that urge people
to denounce evil and resist corruption. 
Social activists also warn people against the influence of media.  They hold many conferences to discuss the
media’s influence and the possible ways of limiting such influence or develop
an informed interaction.

In all human societies people denounce the exposure to what
in Islam is called “prohibitions”.  Prohibitions
in Islam include “blood, money and shame”. 
No doubt, the continuous presentation of killing and torture scenes in
most movies is considered a deliberate breach of this prohibition and make the
viewers less sympathetic with the victims of violence and more tolerant of
watching blood-shed scenes.  The
continuous broadcast of shows that present theft and fraud on TV programs and
series pose a threat for the rules regarding the prohibition of obtaining illegal
money.  Also, the breach of the rules
regarding the relationship between the sexes is very common and it is a direct
breach to this prohibition as well as to human dignity.  In many shows we see adultery permitted and
advancing material characteristics above the spiritual ones for a being whom
God made more dignified than other creatures through his mind and religion. All
this is considered a breach of family values.

Thus, the informed interaction with the media becomes an
important issue. We have to deal with it in a selective way and oppose the
continuous belittling of morals and values that distinguish human societies. We
have to collaborate in order to suppress, stop and punish the sources that
transmit material that is not compliant with religious rules and ethics that
organize social life inside and outside the family.

There is a need for families and individuals to actively participate
in the production of messages transmitted by the media and to consider this
task as a joint responsibility between the media and the family considering
that the effectiveness of this media is determined by the effectiveness of the
family and the individuals interacting with it.

The call to do good, and forbid the doing of what is wrong is
one of the key measures that nations are built upon. God Almighty said: [You are
indeed the best community that has ever been brought forth for [the good of] mankind: you enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is
wrong, and you believe in God.][18]

This reinforces the role of the family as a polishing,
suppressive and effective medium facing the media message.  The family is a responsible and mandated
medium responsible for the care and protection of the children. God Almighty
said: [thy hearing and sight and heart – all of them – will be called to
account for it.][19]

The expected role of the family contributes to the shaping of
the informed interaction of individuals to the media messages. It is important
to put this role in effect and to support it in light of the shared educational
goals among all official and non-official educational institutions, especially
at the present time in which the family is increasingly faced with pressures
and problems.

Finally, we call for the support of the family’s efforts and
to limit the loose media which has become a hazard threatening the stability of
the family and societies. The resistance of its effect has become an additional
burden on the contemporary family and a hurdle that cannot be overcome due to
conditions and limited resources of the families.

List of References

– The Holy Quran

– Al-Bukhari, Mohamed bin Ismail
Al-Bukhari Al-Jaafi, Saheeh al-Bukhari, verified by Ahmed Shaker, Dar
al-Jeel, Beirut,
1330

–
Ibrahim Anis, Abdul Halim Muntassir, al-Mujaam al-Waseet, volume 1, 1^st
edition, Page 5.

– Ibn Manzour, Lissan al-Arab, Volume 1, Dar el-Maaref

– Badawi, Ahmed Zaki, Social Science Dictionary,
Librairie du Liban, 1977

–
Al-Hadheef, Mohammed Abdul Rahman, “How Media impacts us: A study in
theories and methods”, al-Abikan Library, Riyadh.

–
Ramadan, Kafiya, “Predominant Patterns of family up-bringing in the Arabic
Society”, Journal of the Faculty of Education, Qatar
University, Doha, 1995.

–
Sarhan, Bassem, “The Role of Perception in Determining Social Problems",
Field study, Social Science Magazine, issue 17, volume 1, 1989 pp 1170-1390.

–
Al-Askary, Soliman, “Values and the Media”, a research presented to the
Seventh Arabic Cultural Conference, Sultan Qabous University, Dar El-Jeel,
Beirut, 2002.

–
Al-Samalouti, Nabil Mohammed, “The Islamic Approach in Studying Society: A
study in Islamic Sociology”, Dar El-Sherouq, Jeddah, 1980.

–
Al-Sherbini, Zakaria and Youssriya Sadik, “Child Up-bringing: Methods for
Parents on how to Deal with the Child and the Related Problems.” Dar
El-Fekr Al-Arabi, Cairo,
2003.

–
Al-Shahri, Hazaa bin Said, “Television and Family Up-bringing”,
unpublished Master Thesis, King Saud University, 1986.

– Morsi,
Mohammed Abdul Alim, “Culture and Cultural Invasion in the Arab Gulf
Countries", 1^st edition, Riyadh, al-Akiban Library, p. 330.

-Abraham, Francis M., Modern
Sociological theory: an introduction. Oxford   Press, Delhi,
1980.

– www.kau.edu.sa/Postgraduate/Thesis.asp,Id=520&Dept=&name=  Fawzia Mohammed
Al-Kahtani

– file://c:/Documents and Settings/xyzMy Documents/mass Media
and Parents Protection05-02-2007.

– www.kau.edu.sa/Postgraduate/Thesis.asp,Id=520&Dept=&name=  (Badr Ahmed Karim)

– Parsons, Talcott and Robert F. Bales, Family
Socialization and Interaction Process, The Free Press, New York, 1955: 16-17.

–
Whlroos, Sven, Family communication, Contemporary Books, Inc., New York, 1983.

–
William Goode, The Family, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood
Clffs, New
Jersey, 1964: 2