The jury is divided on this one as some say children are also accessing these platforms and content censorship is important while others say there should be no place for moral policing By Teja Bharatula
No moral policing please
n my opinion, we don’t need censorship on ‘over the top’ i.e., OTT platforms. I think the whole concept of “morality” in movies is subjective, especially when we’re talking about India - a lot of things that people abroad consider normal might be considered explicit here, such as graphic sensual scenes. Some people here might not have an issue with that kind of thing, while others may. Is it in the hands of these networks to tell us what we should and shouldn’t be comfortable with, and what is morally correct and what isn’t (except in extremely problematic cases)? I think not. Mainly adults use these platforms and can watch what they please; if kids have access to them, it’s the parents’ responsibility to keep an eye on how they’re using it.”
— Nandini Mahesh Bhatt, Student,BA (Hons), CMR University.
Different from mainstream media
“OTT (over the top) platforms have provided a range of different kinds of series and movies which have content that is different from mainstream media. There should not be any censorship on these platforms since the audience can choose what they want to watch. Censorship restricts the creativity of new era films and with OTT platforms the filmmakers have a ground to experiment. Not only that but it also highlights the society and issues that we are facing in the country today. Regarding misinterpretion of certian ideas and communal content, there should be some guidelines that the makers can follow and still be able to publish creative content on these OTT platforms.
— Shivangee Gupta, Student, BA (Hons), CMR University
Don’t spare OTTs of scrutiny
“OTT has become the default mode not only for web series, but also mainstream cinema due to the pandemic. While traditional media like press, TV have been regulated by government, the digital media and OTTs have escaped this scrutiny. With exposure to all kinds of content, it calls for a regulation or censorship by segregating the content and restrict the usage. This should address the issue at large in the society whilst also addressing parental concerns such as monitoring a child’s activity, and not let violating or radically Influential content be accessible up until a certain age”.
— Ram Prasad, 53, Parent.
Have a passcode system
“I feel there are two sides of a coin,and we have many options in OTT platforms, (right now) as we’re in mid of the pandemic and these platforms have been constantly churning out content. Usually people of all age groups use them and I feel they should consider censorship. There are certain apps such as ‘Aha’ which use something like a guidance and viewer censorship system where one has to enter a passcode to view Rated R content and I think that’s something of a gateway to Ott platforms following censorship, and also continuing to put out content, thus providing censorship and the content they want to make.”
— Srujathi Jayanthy, Student, BCOM (Hons) P.P Jindal University
Let’s have age-appropriate content segregation
“OTT platforms are accessible to all ages so it does need some form of filtering. So rather than censoring, maybe a content filtering system based on age is a better option. Putting a censorship for OTT platforms will be putting a stop on many creative story telling options for directors and scriptwriters. Adults can choose to avoid things they know are detremental to their mental wellbeing and take responsibility for their own actions. Otherwise what’s the point in being an adult?”
— Abigail Mary Koshy, Student, BA (Hons), CMR University
All viewers are not mature
“I support censorship on OTT platforms. Because studies including my research identify that what we watch has an influence on our minds and lifestyle. All viewers are not mature enough to filter and control their minds when they see any adult content which is common these days in all shows or movies made in OTT platforms. It’s important teach the next generation moral values. Otherwise, things will be totally out of control”.
– Dr K Anitha, Head, Dept of Mass Comm, St Francis College for Women