The death of a Class IX student while trying a WWE stunt at home has become a cautionary tale for schools to narrate in an effort to drive home a message that has been heard before but not heeded.

Agnibesh Datta of Apeejay School, Salt Lake, choked to death on Wednesday night when a rope he had been using to replicate a stunt tragically became a noose around his neck.

On Friday, the school issued a notice and spoke to children about the incident. "We keep organising sessions with children to tell them about addiction to TV and the Internet. But despite telling them about the right and wrong, an unfortunate accident has happened," said Reeta Chatterjee, principal of the two Apeejay schools in Calcutta.

Mahadevi Birla World Academy uploaded a notice to its website, asking parents to "monitor your child's viewing of television".

The notice reads: "Please monitor your child's viewing of television and help them understand the difference between fact and fiction. Please guide them about what to watch and ensure they are safe at all times to avoid accidents and unforeseen events. Tragedy may be avoided with caution and care."

At The Heritage School, teachers have asked children to read about the incident and be sensible and not try stunts. Teachers at South City International School have spoken to students of Classes VI to IX about not imitating stunts and the dangers involved in doing so.

This isn't the first time that schools in the city have counselled students and/or issued notices regarding the dangers of copying stunts or action sequences performed by experts or under supervision. The sense of alarm that a tragedy is waiting to happen comes from the realisation that it is futile to try and block content containing dangerous acts. "It is no more about TV alone. Most students are glued to their iPads and tablets and are downloading videos (of stunts) on YouTube," said John Bagul, principal of South City International School.

Sunirmal Chakravarthi, principal of La Martiniere for Boys, sees TV as the "lesser evil" compared to the Web. "Some of the games children play online are excessively violent and the fact that they spend their waking hours playing those raises the fear that they might grow up to have distorted mindsets," he said.

Some schools have been trying to "educate" students about the dangers rather than ask them not to watch certain content. "We tell our students to be realistic in their approach because what is being shown is not real but a fantasy world," said Raja McGee, principal of Calcutta Boys' School.

The problem isn't limited to teenagers. "We have received complaints from parents of children in middle school, saying they watch even wrestling. The kids apparently don't listen to them and so the parents want us to intervene," said Terence Ireland, principal of St. James' School.

La Martiniere for Boys too receives such requests, though the school believes that the onus is on parents to regulate content. "The remote is with the parents and if they cannot switch it off for fear of disappointing the child or making him angry, then something is wrong with their attitude," said principal Chakravarthi.

Most schools feel that parents can't control their children's viewing habits because they have "allowed" them to get addicted. "Switching on the TV is the easiest way to mind the children instead of taking them to the park or spending time with them," said Anushree Ghose, principal of DPS Ruby Park.

Psychiatrists recommend that schools counsel children by citing real-life examples such as the tragedy that struck a Salt Lake home last week.

"Children are not the fragile, emotional creatures we think them to be and we would be doing a disservice to them by not talking about it," said psychiatrist Jai Ranjan Ram.

According to psychiatrist Abir Mukherjee, group sessions with children help while "draconian" measures like banning smartphones, TV and the Internet are most likely to be counter-productive.

Then there are experts who think that fantasy should be fostered rather than bottled up to the point that they find expression in desperate acts.

"Schools should have a dedicated time or class where children are encouraged to share their fantasies and ideas. If they do so, their friends and teachers might tell them about other ways of looking at them and the child's ideas and fantasies get an outlet and don't remain suppressed inside," said psychiatrist Ranadip Ghosh Roy.

What else can schools do to wean children away from dangerous content? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com