Dear broadcasters, our living rooms are not your billboards

Picture this: The day has been long, a chaotic mix of work, household chores, and helping my son revise for his upcoming exams.

- DR. SUPREET GILL

Asa reward, we finally sit down together on the sofa, snacks in hand, to watch the ongoing Asia Cup's much awaited India v. Pakistan cricket match. It’s a moment of bonding, a shared slice of joy in an otherwise hectic week. The first overis thrilling. The players are in form. Then comes the first strategic timeout, and with it, the ad break.

‘And what fills our screen? Not an ad fora soft drink, a car, or a biscuit. It's an advertisement for condoms.

One of them is particularly offensive, taking place in a bathing area and leaving very little to the imagination of the viewer. The comfortable silence of our living room is suddenly replaced byanawkward one. Iquickly look for the remote, my son looks at the floor, and a simple, happy family momentis irrevocably soured.

And this isn’t an isolated incident. At each interval, every drinks break, we are bombarded with similar content. What on earth is going on? Why has a primetime sporting event, watched by millions of families across the nation, become a platform for such age-inappropriate advertising?

This is not a matter of being narrow-minded or a call for moral policing. It is a question of context, audience, and responsibility. I am writing this as an open letter to the OTT platforms and broadcast channels, not just as an irritated viewer, butasa motherand an educator who is deeply concerned about the message we are sending.