A mental health advocate, Mrs Veronica Ezeh, on Thursday said that the entertainment had not been helpful in curbing anti-social behaviours among the youths.
Ezeh, Chief Executive Officer, Adicare Rehabilitation Home, a non-governmental organisation, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
She expressed dissatisfaction that entertainment displays had misled many, particularly youths into committing different kinds of atrocious acts and immoral behaviours.
Ezeh decried the kind of costumes that were being displayed particularly in musical shows where ladies dance half-naked.
He said that such displays could mislead the youths, particularly the young ones.
“I think the entertainment industry has not been helpful in curbing anti-social behaviours among the youths.
“The entertainment industry portrays anti-social behaviours such as smoking hard drugs as a normal life.
“The sad part of this is that most of the youths are looking up to the artists as role models but instead they are misleading them.
“Most of the musicals shows engaging in hard drug as a good indulgence, but most of these acts lead to mental derailment,’’ she said.
According to her, the influence of the entertainment/media on the psychosocial development of children and youths is profound.
She said that there was the need for adequate regulation and monitoring to guide against displays that might be injurious to society at large.
Ezeh said that government could help by regulating what comes out of the entertainment industry to curb the rate at which youths learn and indulge in some of the social vices.
“I believe government can help with what comes out of the entertainment industry because showing of young ones smoking ban substance openly is not a good idea.
“Smoking of hard drugs is rampant in society now because that is what everybody can view via explicit pictures from our entertainment industry.
“We need to get to the point where we care for ourselves, especially as mental health is concerned; we need to raise responsible youths for the future of our dear country,’’ she said.
