The influence of cartoons on the psyche - the view of psychologists

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Despite the fact that cartoons today occupy a significant part of children's leisure time, there is very little information on their impact on the psyche and worldview of a child in the public domain. And this situation looks, to put it mildly, strange, since a huge number of people and finances are involved in the production of modern animation, but at the same time competent and professional assessments of experts about the benefits or harms of watching this or that cartoon are rarely voiced.

But shouldn't this question be in the first place in importance and concern both the producers of animation for children and parents who trust the psyche of their child on screen images? And if it is so important, then why is it passed over in silence?

We managed to find on the Internet several interviews of specialists in this field, and the opinions and assessments expressed by them indicate that the topic presented needs close attention from both ordinary parents and experts working directly with children. We urge our readers to distribute the presented video materials, as well as share their thoughts and best practices in this area.

Interview with Elena Smirnova, Doctor of Psychology

Elena Olegovna Smirnova, Doctor of Psychology, Head of the Center for Psychological and Pedagogical Expertise of Games and Toys, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, shares her vast experience on the topic of the influence of cartoons.

00:10 About the Center for Psychological and Pedagogical Expertise of Games and Toys, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education

02:10 Modern children usually start watching cartoons at 2 years old

02:50 Physiological aspects of the influence of cartoons on the brain of a child

05:00 Imaginary safety of a child when watching cartoons

06:00 Emotional experiences and behavior patterns of heroes

07:50 The primary requirement for the cartoon: the plot must be clear to the child

09:10 Instructive behaviors

09:50 Cartoons that can be shown to children aged 3-4 years

11:20 Do I need to show preschoolers the same cartoon several times

12:00 Cartoons with fighting and aggression - their impact on children

13:40 "Luntik" - positive and negative sides

15:25 "Smeshariki": images for children, content for adults

16:55 The animated series "Masha and the Bear": close to the child, but destructive image of the main character

17:50 Violation of sex-role models in cartoon production and in life

19:50 What to show the child

20:40 What attracts children with modern cartoons

21:18 The more active, faster, the more video the video sequence is, the more the will and consciousness of the viewer are paralyzed

23:05 Activity paralysis of a child accustomed to watching cartoons

23:40 Consequences of screen addiction: hyperactivity, speech delay, autism, impaired communication skills, etc.

24:50 Glamorization of monsters and images of death in products for children

27:50 Debunking folklore in a series of cartoons about three heroes

28:45 The state of domestic animation

Interview with Galina Filippova, Doctor of Psychology

Filippova Galina Grigorievna. Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Rector of the Institute of Perinatal Psychology and Psychology of the Reproductive Sphere.

00:00 How strongly cartoons affect children

02:20 Modern animation from the point of view of a psychologist

03:10 Commercialization instead of parenting

03:55 How parents choose cartoons

05:20 The appearance of cartoon characters and the relationship with their behavior

07:35 Is righteous violence permissible by positive characters

09:35 Violence in fairy tales and violence in modern cartoons. What is the difference?

12:30 What is the line between beauty and sexuality of female characters

15:50 Model of relations between husband and wife in the cartoon "Shrek"

17:35 Distortion of the physical proportions of the characters in the body

20:45 Should cartoons always end with a Happy End

23:22 The image of parents in Russian and Western culture

25:40 Is it possible to entrust a child to independently choose cartoons to watch

28:01 What the main character should look like for children of different ages

29:40 Parents have to make a choice

Interview with child psychologist Valentina Paevskaya

Talk about TV and about cartoons in particular: when can you turn on cartoons for a child, for how long you can turn on, whether you need to do this at all and are cartoons harmful.

00:30 At what age should you show your child cartoons?

00:55 The role of TV in problems with the psyche of children

02:45 Cartoons that affect involuntary attention

03:10 They look, but do not understand anything

04:05 Format of presenting information to children

05:05 Where do the problems at school come from?

05:55 Increase in the number of events and change of plans per minute of time

06:30 Video and television at an early age

07:25 What cartoons to show to children

Valentina Paevskaya's opinion: “Unfortunately, according to my observations, the number of children with artificial developmental delay is becoming more and more, so now I am categorically against television in general. Especially children who are hyperactive, children with attention deficit TV are contraindicated.

But I also know that in reality, many parents cannot give up this habit. Therefore, I will summarize the rules that should be followed:

1. Cartoons only after 3 years.

2. No more than 20-30 minutes per day. Try to choose Soviet cartoons, where there is no such "flickering" and forcing the plot, as in modern cartoons.

3. Each cartoon has 1 documentary (for example, about animals). In this way, the brain learns to process different information.

Please take seriously the recommendation not to include cartoons for children under 3 years old. All modern cartoons affect involuntary attention and artificially force the child to watch them. This negatively affects the emotional-volitional sphere and the cognitive abilities of the child. You will notice all the negative consequences at school!"