Kids comic cartoons have always been a blissful source of entertainment and the most convenient form of babysitting for parents. It seems like the most expedient electronic option out of all. However, we fail to notice its ill effects. Sitting glued to the TV, tab or mobile phone on hours at end, does not only create health problems but also promotes unsocial behavior. More unsettlingly, it may develop and instill ideas of resistance, aggression, and violence.
Violence refers to the behavior intended to injure or kill someone or something. It has been proved that vulnerability to violence has caused concerningly grave physical and mental issues in the youth. Despite this, barbarity is observed to be commonly portrayed in several popular cartoons. Children who watch violent cartoons or play video games comprising of violent graphics, may endure its malignant and adverse effects. Such children show signs of numbness to violence, imitation of violence or increased aggression. In cartoons such as Tom and Jerry, The Road Runner, and Oggy and the Cockroaches, it has been noted that the cruelty displayed does not have any consequences. Characters are often seen engaging in scuffles, falling from great heights, being run over by vehicles or being crushed under heavy weights. Yet they still somehow manage to escape unscathed. Such instances may convince children into believing that violence does not result in any sort of harm to the persons involved. Additionally, violent scenes in such cartoons are delineated in a humorous and comical manner. Many people perceive such scenes to be lighthearted, included simply for the sake of ludicrous entertainment but that isn’t entirely veracious. By adding hilarity to violent scenes, children are coaxed into reckoning that violence isn’t an alarming nor a dreadful matter. If such beliefs are ingrained into the tender mind of a child, there may be awfully distressing repercussions in the long run. This may even encompass the act of turning a blind towards any form of brutality they encounter as adults.
Therefore, with the necessary measures, parents must ensure that no harm is done to a child’s mental and physical health whilst they spend time watching cartoons. By constant supervision, it is meant that a parent should sit and watch the cartoon with the child instead of simply hovering around. Gaining the knowledge of a child’s favourite and least favourite character will allow a parent to attain an insight on the young one’s way of thinking. Moreover, a limit for watching time should be established, too. Guardians must also try to persuade their child into viewing more age-appropriate, educational, pragmatic and optimistic content. They must acknowledge it is never too late to steer their children towards the right path. It is about time that electronic gadgets are stopped being treated as babysitters.
