Psychologists told why cartoons are dangerous for a child

Modern children cannot imagine their life without cartoons. No, not even that. Many modern parents cannot imagine life without cartoons. This is a wonderful lifesaver that allows mom to free up at least a little time for the cycle of household chores. And if mom is a freelancer or works remotely - something also for quiet work. However, the quantity and quality of cartoons in a child's life should be strictly limited. Psychologists have named at least 5 reasons why cartoons can be dangerous for babies. We are talking about children from one to three years old, but cartoons have exactly the same effect (albeit to a lesser extent) on older children.

Reason 1. Sticking effect

Children of all ages "stick" to cartoons / istockphoto.com

According to WHO recommendations, children under one year old are not recommended to watch cartoons at all, at the age of 1-2 years watching cartoons should take no more than 10 minutes a day, and in 2-3 years the time in front of the TV can be increased to 20 minutes. These numbers may seem ridiculous for modern (especially working) mothers: the maximum that you can do in 10 minutes is to check your email. However, there are medical reasons for this limitation.

Many parents notice that up to 3 years old, a baby doesn’t really care what to watch on TV. You can turn on a cartoon for him, or you can start advertising. The child seems to "stick" in front of the screen and gazes fascinatedly at the moving pictures. This effect is called "twilight stupor" in psychology. There is so much information and it is presented so dynamically that the brain overstrains the neural circuits. If this "overheating" of the brain occurs on a regular basis, it leads to a deterioration in long-term memory, delayed speech development and impairment of all cognitive abilities of the child.

Reason 2. Copy effect

From birth, a child has no patterns of behavior in the brain. Everything that he learns in the process of growing up is taken from the world around him. Up to a year, mom and dad or other significant adults become the main objects to follow. But after a year, kids copy the behavior and reactions of their peers. Cartoon characters are, by definition, the same age as children. And this means that they broadcast those behavioral models that the child will definitely adopt. That is why fans of Masha and the Bear often behave like Masha.

Be sure to keep track of the content of the cartoons your child is watching, and try to ensure that the main characters correspond to your ideas about how to behave correctly. No matter how luscious it may be to look at it, for young children the hero must be unambiguously positive, without any "semitones". However, ideally, the child should take the model of behavior from the family and from the world around him, and not from the TV screen.

Reason 3. Increased aggression

Modern cartoons broadcast a lot of aggression / istockphoto.com

This reason is directly related to the previous one. But even an extremely positive protagonist will not help here. Many modern cartoons "for children" broadcast an incredible charge of aggression, which hides under the guise that the characters are supposedly not in pain. Cartoon characters hit each other on the head, their eyes come out of their sockets, they "crumble" into a wet spot, and then again "gather in a heap." Because of this, kids get the impression that physical abuse is not dangerous, and at times very funny.

Canadian psychologists conducted an experiment: two groups of children (2-3 years old) were shown cartoons of different content every day for 20 minutes. The first group watched the cartoon "Tom and Jerry", and the second the educational animated series "Kayu". Cartoons were shown before and after a quiet hour, and then the children were taken out for a walk. Those kids who were shown "Tom and Jerry" behaved more aggressively on the set, trying to hit or hurt their peers.

Reason 4. Fast frame change

Why do babies "stick" to ads? Because it is very dynamic: due to the limited time, product manufacturers need to invest a maximum of information in 30-40 seconds. Recently, cartoons have been filmed along the same path: events in them change so quickly and dynamically that the child is not able to follow the plot. Not only does it overstrain the brain, such cartoons also affect short-term memory and concentration.

In 2011, the American journal Psychology Today published a study entitled "The Effects of Fast Cartoons." Psychologists took two groups of children: one was shown the cartoon "SpongeBob", and the second at this time was drawing with pencils. After that, the children were asked to pass some simple age tests. Those who drew coped with the task, but those who watched the cartoon were confused and could not even concentrate on primitive tasks. Moreover, babies after watching a dynamic cartoon for some time showed symptoms of ADHD (motor hyperactivity disorder): they could not sit still, did not react to the appeal of adults and grabbed several tasks at once.

Reason 5. Substitution of activity

Cartoons make today's kids forget how to play / istockphoto.com

Many parents think: when a child watches cartoons, he is "at least busy with something." In fact, at this time, the child is not busy with anything. No matter how developing the cartoon is, psychologists warn: this is "chewing gum for the brain." Children who are used to spending their free time in front of the TV forget how to occupy themselves on their own.

In fact, active processes of cognition and creative development are launched just when the baby, in your opinion, is not busy with anything. That is, he just sits in the room and thinks about where to apply himself. At this time, fantasy turns on, and the child fills the time space with what he likes (and not what the TV offers): he can draw, play or just lie on the couch and sing songs. It is during these periods that the child remains alone with himself and learns to communicate with himself. And if from an early age you accustom him to such periods, then in the future he will easily find something to do in any situation.

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