A Mean Show: New video podcast delves into children's mental health

Tweens preteenage years are known to be a transformative phase when adorable innocent children turn into mini monsters They run around the neighbourhood ringing doorbells for sheer fun mimic angry adults until they give up or even swear to hate a certain vegetable and every one of the opposite sex for life Tweens as experts suggest are when children start shaping their opinions dreams likes and preferences It is only natural then filmmaker and photographer Aman Chotani says for them to be wary of anyone who doesnrsquot fit into the box of their newly formed ideals and values ldquoNo matter what you do children will pull another childrsquos legrdquo Chotani shares But where does one draw the line ldquoWhen they start becoming meanrdquo he respondsThe video podcast is a game show that aims to shed light on childrenrsquos mental healthChotanirsquos new venture into his passion for filmmaking is a video podcast A Mean Show Here he invites children to have candid conversations with him and play games The underlying aim however is to create a mental health show ldquoAs a child I would stammer And even though it made me strong I was subject to intense bullying from children my age Now that we are in the podcast era I want to use this power of storytelling to spread awareness and subtly ask kids to be kind to each otherrdquo the host who also recently became a parent revealsThe sevenepisode series is directed by Chetan Kumar and produced by Pallavi Arora Each episode features one child They are introduced as awesome Ashvik amazing Aarna rocking Ranveer or magical Myra among others The children begin by talking about their dreams mdash Yajat Kumar for instance wants to become an astronaut He loves the movie Interstellar and firmly believes that Neil Armstrongrsquos firstever spaceship to land on the moon was created because he stole a surefire idea from the Russians The sixth grader wishes to visit Japan a techadvanced country which is also home to anime Chotani expresses his will to do the same and hopes the two meet again in the future in JapanShivanika Raghav explains concepts like anxiety multiple intelligence and screen time right Yajat KumarAfter a round of rapid fire where Kumar associates the word wars with guns and siblings with wars Chotani asks if the science enthusiast has ever been bullied ldquoYes sometimesrdquo Kumar admits It has to do with the kidrsquos changing physique his friends call him fat a dog who barks when he defends himself and how one day his big brain will explode Kumarrsquos response to these comments that wins over Chotani and this writer ldquoI feel that I should be quiet because if I do that they will get bored and eventually stop talking about merdquo he says The episodes also feature special educator and art therapist Shivanika Raghav who explains in two minutes concepts like anxiety multiple intelligence and screen time With each episode nearly 10minuteslong the podcast is a fun mix of games banter and heartfelt conversations It sheds light on the various interests of Gen Alpha and how they are coping with the harsh digital world they were born into An insightful watch for both parents and children this podcast promises to drive the message home through visual storytellingand entertainmentLog on to ameanshowcomIn tune with mental healthAlso check out these podcastsgtgt The right sourceThe channel provides mental health and social emotional learning resources for kids and teens They explain through visual storytelling concepts like anger management for kids grounding techniques emotions and feelings vocabulary relaxation skills and moreLog on to Mental Health Center Kids on YouTubegtgt The onus is on parentsThis podcast by author and parenting expert Mark Gregston shows how parents can start being more mindful about a teenagerrsquos mental health He explores themes like why teens lie intimacy effective communication online safety and the art of letting goLog on to Parenting Todayrsquos Teens on SpotifyPICS COURTESYYOUTUBEgtgt Mental power with yogaExplore relaxation and enter the world of cartoons through relaxing yoga poses for kids The host will tell you about the Little Mermaid Yoga pose or why Kevin the koala canrsquot sleep You can jump into aboveRapunzelrsquos adventurous world and even get flexible with the Little Red Riding HoodLog on to Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTubegtgt Listen up girlsThese episodes directly speak to girls both teens and tweens Host and girl power instructor Stephanie Valdez shares guidance on personal development physical and mental health media literacy and how to better handle friendships relationships and familyLog on to 10 for Teens Tweens on Spotify