President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, discussed his views on the LGBT movement, points families should pay attention to in their communication with their children, and the effects of digital platforms in a program he attended on Akit TV.
Organization of the LGBT movement
Prof. Tarhan stated that the LGBT movement initially emerged with demands for rights and freedoms, against the demonization of individuals and hate speech. Referring to the strategies of international LGBT organizations, he said, “Here, there is a structure that defines the issue as a freedom movement and an ideology. We see that it is not limited to individual rights at the local level but develops strategies as an organized structure. They approach the issue as a cause and an ideology.”
Expressing that the movement is supported by global capital and media, Prof. Tarhan stated that he supports the measures taken in Turkey against this structure, which he also associates with family and population policies.
What are biological sex, social gender?
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, referring to a genetic study published in 2019, said that the views on sexual orientation being innate have lost their scientific basis. Addressing the concepts of biological sex, social gender, and sexual orientation, Prof. Tarhan stated, “The American Psychiatric Association redefined the issue, focusing on three distinct concepts: biological sex, social gender, and sexual orientation. Biological sex is genetic; it is defined as female and male. There is no separate gene or chromosome corresponding to a third biological sex. The American Psychiatric Association used the terms ‘assigned sex’ for biological sex and ‘acquired sex’ for social gender. It defined social gender as not genetic, but epigenetic, meaning learned later.”
Tarhan also noted that gender reassignment centers for individuals under 18 have been closed in the UK. He added, “Furthermore, a book addressing the destructive effects of transgender ideology was published. We, as a university, also published this book; it can currently be downloaded for free from our website. Last year, another publishing house also released a book on children being at peace with their gender. We can also recommend this book, which discusses what approach parents should adopt.”
“It is necessary not to judge and blame”
Prof. Tarhan stated that criticisms of organized structures and the approach to individuals should be separated, and continued:
“In this struggle, individuals should not be judged or blamed for their sexual orientations, gender identity confusions, or deviations. If a person is not involved in an organized criminal activity involving drugs, obscenity, or pornography, this is an area of freedom after a certain age. In Turkey, even SGK (Social Security Institution) covers these surgeries for those who want to have them after the age of 18. However, the age limit for these surgeries should be raised to 25. Because, according to literature, adolescence ends around 22 years of age. A person should make such a decision at 25 years old. Most people who undergo these surgeries regret it and want to reverse them. Numerous studies on this have accumulated. There are also many suicide cases among them. For this reason, the issue has begun to become a serious health problem.”
Protecting a child is not just about limiting screen time
Prof. Tarhan, also referring to the role of digital platforms in children's development, said that it would not be enough for parents to focus only on access restrictions.
Prof. Tarhan, stating, “Protecting a child is not just about putting an obstacle in front of them on the screen. It is about equipping them with the judgment to evaluate content when they encounter it,” drew attention to the importance of a child being able to ask for help from their family when they are struggling.
Prof. Tarhan stated that one of the parents' priorities should be “establishing a safe relationship with their children where they can ask for help when they are struggling.”
“Culture transfer is carried out by popular culture and media”
Prof. Tarhan stated that digital platforms are increasingly among the sources that shape children's values and behaviors, and said, “Now, culture transfer is done by popular culture and media. Digital media does it. Digital platforms do it.”
Prof. Tarhan drew attention to content that normalizes violence, humiliation, coercion, and self-harm, stating that constantly repeated shares can affect behaviors that children perceive as correct and normal.
In addition to shares promoting perfect body image, luxury lifestyle aspirations, and unhealthy eating habits, Prof. Tarhan also touched upon the risks of cyberbullying and sexual blackmail, emphasizing the need to equip children with media literacy.
“Instead of labeling the child, let’s look at how they interpret it”
Prof. Tarhan stated that children might encounter harmful content out of curiosity or unintentionally. He said, “Children may encounter harmful content out of curiosity or unintentionally. As parents, let's not immediately label them as bad, corrupted, or deviant. Instead of labeling, let’s look at how they interpret the content they encounter. Let’s evaluate what meaning they attribute to this content and whether they need support. This way, our children can learn to cope with the negative effects of digital platforms and at least manage this process.”
Prof. Tarhan stated that parenting is a responsibility beyond meeting basic needs, and pointed out the importance of preparing children for life and developing their coping skills.
Tarhan stated that family communication should be strengthened to prepare children for the effects of the digital world, and drew attention to the importance of patience, resilience, and the ability to delay gratification.
Mutual communication instead of advice
Prof. Tarhan stated that parents are struggling with digital platforms and emphasized that the time allocated to children should be increased, saying, “If a mother and father previously spent half an hour with their child, now they need to spend more time.”
Prof. Tarhan also emphasized the importance of how this time is utilized, stating, “But this should not be in the style of a monologue, giving lectures, preaching, or giving advice.”
Prof. Tarhan noted that two-way communication should be established with children, and right and wrong should be discussed together.
Prof. Tarhan stated that children's patience and resilience should be developed to cope with the difficulties they may encounter, and also emphasized the ability to delay gratification in this process.
“Being a good father, a good mother, a good spouse”
Prof. Tarhan stated that a child's first teachers are their mother and father, and drew attention to the importance of parents' role, especially during early childhood.
Tarhan emphasized that family roles should not be neglected while fulfilling professional responsibilities, saying, “More important than being a good businessman or a good businesswoman is being a good father, a good mother, a good spouse. Let’s not neglect these.”
Prof. Tarhan said that meeting a child's material needs alone is not enough, and stated that the approach of “everything you want is available” does not respond to the child's emotional needs.
Children's need to be listened to and valued
Prof. Tarhan, stating, “It is necessary to spend quality time with children,” expressed that children and young people need to be listened to, valued, and accepted as individuals.
Tarhan stated that some parents find it difficult to accept that their children are growing up or postpone listening to them due to fatigue, and said that raising children cannot be considered less important than professional achievements.
Prof. Tarhan emphasized the importance of raising children who know life, can cope with difficulties, and have well-developed social and emotional skills.
Social and emotional skills should be included in education
Addressing educators, Prof. Tarhan drew attention to the importance of values education, especially in the 4–6 age period, saying, “It is necessary to teach children virtue and morality.”
Prof. Tarhan stated that education should not be limited to theoretical knowledge transfer; he said that skills such as self-awareness, recognizing strengths and weaknesses, problem-solving, stress and anger management should also be developed. Referring to awareness studies, Prof. Tarhan noted that developing feelings of gratitude and thankfulness could also be part of this process.
Prof. Tarhan emphasized the importance of methods that support children in producing solutions to the problems they encounter, and concluded by saying, “There are many solutions based on scientific foundations. And there are very good methods that are compatible with our belief system, our cultural system.”
