Say the word “cartoon” and all small children’s eyes light up. It is known that cartoons are a powerful tool to use to capture the imagination of young children. It is also known that some children begin watching cartoons from as early as five to six months old, and by the time they become toddlers they have become addictive viewers.
What goes unnoticed is the fact that a vast majority of cartoons contain some form of violence that can have an impact on the minds of small children.
Violence in cartoons is no hidden secret. It is so open and in most cases is presented in such a realistic way that the characters or actors are made to look real. Due to the additive nature of these cartoons, hundreds of children fall prey to being overstimulated by superpower characters.
Some parents may be fooled by the first glance and may assume that the cartoon being watched is innocent. If they stop to listen to the plot and storyline or watch long enough, they will discover differently. They will find fist fights, falls from great heights, insults leading to injury, shootings and killings.
Cartoons may provide children with the opportunity to imagine themselves in a different world, a world in which they can achieve their dreams. They aspire to be like the characters in the cartoons, imitating their actions and language.
At playtime see them trying to fly through the air and drop-kick their classmate. Sit back and listen to them in their discussion on the playground, at home or in the classroom; they take on the voice, react to their peers the way the cartoon characters would.
They become the bad guys, teasing classmates and threatening revenge. These are great reasons why parents need to stop and check on what their children are watching and steer them away from those that are full of violence.
Parents need to be aware of the message that is being sent to children as they sit or lie passively, watching these acts that are frequently repeated or go unpunished. We teach children that it is not right to hit. However, violent cartoons say it is fine.
We are saying it is okay to be aggressive, do wrong and not be held accountable for actions, it is fine to bite, hit or kick if you are the good guy; or even if you are the bad guy, you are not held responsible or punished for your actions. This can lead to confusion when children try to understand the difference between right and wrong.
Parents need to keep a close eye on what their children watch. Find time to sit and discuss the cartoon being shown with them. Take the opportunity to discuss that the cartoon characters are not real. The character that the boulder crushed or who was stabbed has not been harmed, but would have been seriously injured, or dead in real life.
Take the opportunity to let your children know that violent behaviour is not the best course of action to resolve a conflict.
Parents should not use cartoons as the “babysitter”. They should stop, view and think about what children are watching. Remember, children grow up and the violence learnt young will be manifested when they become adults. Start now and let us preserve our children from the violence of cartoons.
• Rhonda A. Blackman is an educator, a National Development Scholar and former President of the Early Childhood Association of Barbados Inc.
