Suhaylah Hussein
AUCKLAND (Te Waha Nui / Pacific Media Watch): A Fiji high school has banned students from watching the New Zealand television series Shortland Street after fears the show increases the risk of eating disorders.
Research conducted at Harvard Medical School has revealed that teenage girls in Fiji who watch Shortland Street are at a high risk of developing eating disorders.
Suva Muslim College’s principal Bharti Singh says she discussed the results of the research with the school board and the students’ parents.
“We decided the right thing to do was to boycott students from viewing the show,” she said.
Parent Dolly Dean said she immediately stopped her daughter from watching Television New Zealand's Shortland Street, rebroadcast in Fiji, after the school had raised concerns.
“It’s despicable that Shortland Street is causing young girls to ruin their health,” she said.
“My daughter is not allowed to watch that horror of a show.”
Suhaylah Hussein is a student journalist at AUT University reporting for Te Waha Nui newspaper.
Full story – front page lead in Te Waha Nui issue 52
Shortland Street’s eating disorder link
More boys developing eating disorders
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Pacific Media Watch
