Abby Hildenbrand Hildenbrand 1

Kim 4
AP English
10 March 2014

Cartoon's Effects on Children

"I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!" Shouts the latest
captured villain, shaking his fist angrily at Mystery Inc. and their sidekick dog, Scooby Doo.
"Scooby Doo" is just one cartoon among many that has children attached to their TV's for hours
on end. More and more children are spending their days in front of a screen, their parents looking
for an easy way of entertainment. Is this really good for young kids? Though cartoons are fun for
children, they are slowly ruining our young generation.
Everyone has that one annoying relative who nags and gripes about how 'watching too
much television will ruin your eyes.' Most kids let the comment pass through one ear and out the
other, ignoring it as if it was never said. Though this may seem a little extreme, it has some truth
to it. It's not specifically proven that television can ruin your eyes, but it can result in eye fatigue
(Leu). Eye specialists conclude that watching television is not a danger to the eyes, if children
watch in the right conditions. They should not sit closer than five feet away from the screen, and
the room should not be pitch black. (Leu).
While cartoons may seem harmless, they can actually be very fatal. In December 1997, a
episode of the Japanese cartoon "Pocket Monster" caused several seizures in children after they
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watched it (Leu). Parents then wondered how different cartoons their children watched affected
their mental development. For the brain, there is strong evidence that too much television is
harmful (Leu). In April 2004, a study conducted by Children's Hospital and Regional Medical
Center of Seattle, Washington, was published in an issue of the medical journal Pediatrics. The
study showed that children who watched three to four hours of television each day had a 30 to 40
percent greater risk of developing attention deficit disorder then the children who did not watch
television at all (Leu). Pediatrician and researcher, Dimitri Christakis, confirms that Modern TV
is proven to be detrimental to young developing minds. (Christakis). Children between the ages
of 2-5 years usually spend 21.8 hours each week watching television. That is about three hours
each day, according to Nielsen statistics (Perlmutter). Toddlers and preschoolers have a lot of
developmental work to do within the first few years of their life, and TV can be a distraction. If
they're spending all their time watching television, their brains will not be able to develop
correctly (Markham).
Young children are known for having very wild imaginations. They dream of being
princesses and superheroes, fighting crime and saving the day. Though it is important for a child
to have an active imagination, can they distinguish the difference between fantasy and reality? At
an early age, children consider the things they watch in cartoons to be real (Bibi and Zehra).
Huma, mother of a 7-year-old 'Winx Club' fan Rumaiza, says: She creates a lot of fuss every
time we go for shopping as she insists on having the same wardrobe as the characters in the
Winx Club (Bibi and Zehra). Rumaiza's older sister, Ayesha, states: My youngest sister is
really under the influence of these glamorous tales and she assumes herself to be princess who is
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interested in wearing strapless frocks and wants to do ball dance (Bibi and Zehra). The
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry study reveals that Children who view
shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to
imitate what they say see (Wilcox). Other studies show that after about 2.5 years, active
'viewers' gain the ability to imitate behavior and events they come across daily (Aliyeva). While
children are still learning control of their minds and bodies, mimicking what they see only seems
normal to them (Wilcox). Fantasy and imagination are an important aspect in brain development
at an early age, but too much of it can be a bad thing.
Violence is currently one of the most primal problems in the world. When most people
think of violence, they imagine drive-by shootings and gang fights. Though the majority of those
involved in violence are adults, children are equally as guilty. Frequency of violence in cartoons
is higher than in dramas or comedies (Kirsh). In many popular children's cartoons and television
shows, you can see characters jumping, falling, and being seriously injured in other ways without
any harm. These types of cartoons establish a false sense of reality at a young age. Most parents
approve of a cartoon as long as it doesn't promote sex or very serious violence (Ybarra).
Unfortunately, many parents overlook the petty violence and it is slowly ruining their children.
Producer of NBC crime drama Law and Order, Dick Wolf, will not allow his 2-year-old son to
watch Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (McGuckin 100). He believes that it's cartoonlike
violence is simply too dangerous. After my son watched Power Rangers one day he came out

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and started giving me pretend karate kicks (McGuckin 100). The producer of Power Rangers,
Halim Saban, says that he encourages his 5-year-old daughter to watch his show. (McGuckin
100). Saban however will not allow his daughter to watch 60 Minutes. If V stands for violent,
they better slap a V on 60 Minutes (McGuckin 100). A study performed by academics at the
Iowa State University revealed that 'there are higher levels of physical aggression in children's
programs then in programs for general audiences' (Clark). 8-year-old Mukarram received a
warning from his school after he got caught beating up a another student. When asked for
explanation Mukarram innocently replied, I was just showing my friend one of the moves I saw
in a cartoon the night before (Bibi and Zehra). Hassan, father of two younger sons says: There
was a time when one of my sons began to play pranks on his little brother quite frequently, and I
failed to understand the reason behind this sudden change in his behavior, one day however I
found him watching The Cramp Twins, and understood the reason for all this bullying (Bibi
and Zehra). A junior wing school teacher states: Some students are always picking up fights in
the class, one of the reasons behind this aggressive behavior could be that they are too much
influenced by violence based cartoons or other programs which parents without any concern let
them watch in excess (Bibi and Zehra). A parent or guardian should be present with their child,
monitoring which cartoons they are watching. Parents should explain to the child that the cartoon
character or actor hasn't actually been harmed, but would be seriously injured or die in real life.
They should also let their child know that violent behavior is not the way to solve any conflict
(Aliyeva). Just because a television program doesn't show sex or violence, doesn't mean that it is
innocent (Aliyeva).
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Unbelievably, children's cartoons and programs promote violence and sexuality in a
secret form. Messages are well hidden throughout different scenes, and most parents and children
do not notice they are there. This is called subliminal messaging. Many parents do not know that
cartoons are intentionally brainwashing their children (Choma). Currently there is no law that
makes subliminal messages illegal, but the Federal Communications Council is very against it
(Choma). The Federal Communications Council can issue fines and penalties including
revocation of the stations broadcasting license if a station airs anything containing a subliminal
message purposely (Choma). In the Disney movie, The Lion King, the word S-E-X is spelled out
by flying dust while Simba is laying on a cliffs edge (Choma). There was also a phallic symbol
plastered on the cover of The Little Mermaid's first videotape box (Choma). A businessman from
New York, Ken Sobel, first discovered subliminal messages in a cartoon from the 1980s called
Alf (Choma). For only one frame, there was an image of an American flag in the background, the
Statue of Liberty on front of that, and A-M-E-R-I-C-A written in big block letters (Choma). NBC
then launched an investigation on the incident, and reported that at Korumi Studios in Japan,
animators admitted to intentionally placing the image within the specific cartoon (Choma).
Another popular type of subliminal messaging is Auditory. On Monday, October 11th, 2004, an
episode of "Pokemon" aired with Meowth saying: If that's the Democratic way, I'm voting
Republican (Ray). While children are watching cartoons, they pay deep attention to what each
character is saying. They're being exposed to messages that will eventually become part of their
lives (Ray). The main catch phrase of the popular cartoon character, "Spongebob

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Squarepants, is Tarter Sauce (Ray). To many parents, this phrase sounds like it is intended to
stand in for a curse word. In 1988, Disney characters and Warner Bros. characters teamed up for
the first time. During the evening at The Ink & Paint Club, Donald Duck and Daffy duck duet on
the piano together and the relationship takes a turn for the worse. Donald allegedly calls Daffy a
nigger (Frater). On Jasmine's balcony in a scene of Aladdin, You can clearly hear the hero
genie whisper Good teenagers take off your clothes (Frater). Though the script says the line is
Good kitty, take off and go", majority of people do not believe it (Frater). The American Life
League tried to use this evidence to get Disney films banned, claiming they had been sneaking
sexual messages to children (Frater). Parents only allow their children to watch cartoons they
believe are appropriate. If a cartoon was to promote profane or sexual language, they would
forbid their child from watching that cartoon anymore. Thankfully, creators of popular cartoons
are careful not to place subliminal messages in their programs (Ray). Though the majority of
cartoons are safe for children's viewing, not all of them can be completely appropriate.
Too many parents are looking past cartoon violence and influences. Parents believe that
cartoons are fun for their children, but they don't know that there are evolving their child's mind
and shaping them negatively. Since cartoons are widely popular throughout the world, it is
known that they will never be eliminated. Because of this, parents should be taking proper
precautions for their children's safety and well being. Adults should first monitor how much TV
their children watch a day. Then, they should also watch out for what types of shows their
children are viewing. The program should be appropriate and not have too much violence. Not
all cartoons are bad; so parents shouldn't completely shelter their children from the television.
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Cartoons still can be enjoyable and appropriate under the right conditions. Adults just must
remember that even the most seemingly innocent things can have an evil purpose.


















Works Cited
Aliyeva, Aynur. "Hidden Effects of Cartoons on Little Spectators."
http://www.azernews.az/analysis/58562.html. Hidden Effects of Cartoons on Little
Spectators. 4 September 2013. Web. 8 March 2014.
This source is secondary. The author is Aynur Aliyeva and the date of publication is
September 4, 2013 I will use this source to see how violence primarily affects children. Aynur
Aliyeva, "Hidden Effects of Cartoons on Little Spectators."
Bibi, Alia. "Effects of cartoons on childrens psychology & behaviour patterns."
<http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-128111-Effects-of-cartoons-on-
childrens-psychology-&-behaviour-patterns. Effects of cartoons on childrens psychology &
behaviour patterns. 25 August 2012. Web. 8 March 2014.
The source is secondary. The author is Alia Bibi. The date of publication is August 25,
2012. I will use this source to see how cartoons affect children's thought process and behavior
patterns. Alia Bibi, "Effects of cartoons on children's psychology and behaviour patterns."
Choma, Chris. "Visual Subliminal Messaging in Children's Cartoons."
http://www2.bgsu.edu/departments/tcom/faculty/ha/tcom103fall2004/gp9/. Effects of
Cartoons on Children., 15 November 2004. Web. 5 February 2014.
This source is secondary. The author is Chris Choma. The date of publication is November
15, 2004. I will use this source to look at subliminal messaging in children's cartoons. Chris
Choma, "Visual subliminal messaging in children's cartoons."
Christakis, Dimitri. "How TV Affects the Brains of Young Children." www.youtube.com
How TV Affects the Brains of Young Children., 5 February 2012. Web video. 18 February
2014.
This source is primary. The researcher/pediatrician is Dimitri Christakis. The date of upload
is February 5, 2012. I will use this source to see how children grow from television effects on the
brain. Dimitri Christakis, "How TV Affects the Brains of Young Children."
Clark, Laura. "Cartoon Violence 'makes children more aggressive'." dailymail.co.uk.
Cartoon Violence 'makes children more aggressive'., 5 March 2009. Web. 6 February
2014.
This source is secondary. The author is Laura Clark and The date of publication is March 5,
2009. I will use this source to see how cartoons raise children's levels of aggression. Laura Clark,
"Cartoon Violence 'makes children more aggressive'."
Drinka, George. "Cartoon Violence and Children's Sleep." psychologytoday.com. When the
Media Is the Parent. 19 June 2013. Web. 6 February 2014.
This source is secondary. The author of the article is George Drinka and the publishing date
is June 19, 2013. I will use this source to see how violent cartoons affect children's sleep. George
Drinka, "Cartoon Violence and Children's Sleep."
Hossler, Stevie. "Mental and Psychological Effects of Children's Cartoons."
www2.bgsu.edu. Effects of Cartoons on Children., 15 November 2004. Web. 5
February 2014.
This source is secondary. The author is Stevie Hossler and the date of publication is
November 15, 2004. I will use this article to gather information on mental and psychological
effects on children. Stevie Hossler, "Mental and Psychological Effects of Children's Cartoons."
Landler, Mark. "TV Turns to an Era of Self-Control." Violence in American Society. New
York Times. Pages 100-105. 17 March 1996. Print. 18 February 2014.
This source is secondary. The author is Mark Landler, and the article was taken from the
New York Times and reprinted. The article was published March 7, 1996. I will use this article to
see how television and cartoons control children. Mark Landler, "TV Turns to an Era of Self-
Control."
Leu, Robert. "Television's Effects on the Brain and Eyes."
http://www2.bgsu.edu/departments/tcom/faculty/ha/tcom103fall2004/gp9/. Effects of
Cartoons on Children. 15 November 2004. Web. 5 February 2014.
This source is secondary. The author is Robert Leu and the date of publication is November
15, 2004. I will use this article to gather information on television's effects on the brain and eyes.
Robert Leu, "Televisions Effects on the Brain and Eyes."
Markham, Laura. "Your Toddler or Preschooler and TV."
http://www.ahaparenting.com/ages-stages/toddlers/toddler-preschooler-tv-computer.
"Your Toddler or Preschooler and TV." 2014. Web. 8 March 2014.
This source is secondary. The author is Laura Markham. The date of publication is 2014. I
will use this article to gather information on young children and their television effects. Laura
Markham, "Your Toddler or Preschooler and TV."
McGuckin, Frank. "Violence in American Society." New York: H.W. Wilson, 1998. Print.
10 February 2014.
This source is secondary. The author is Frank McGuckin. The date of publication is 1998. I
will use this source to see how violence affects children. Frank McGuckin, "Violence in
American Society."
Perlmutter, David. "Brain Development: How Much TV Should Children Watch?"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-david-perlmutter-md/television-and-the-
develo_b_786934.html. 5 December 2010. Web. 8 March 2014.
This source is secondary. The author is David Perlmutter and the date of publication is
December 5, 2010. I will use this source to see how many hours of TV affect children's brain
development. David Perlmutter, "Brain Development: How Much TV Should Children Watch?"
Kirsh, Steven. "Cartoon violence and aggression in youth." www.geneseo.edu. 5 October
2005. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.
The source is secondary. The author is Steven Kirsh. The date of publication is October 5,
2005. I will use this source to see how cartoon violence makes children more aggressive. Steven
Kirsh, "Cartoon violence and aggression in youth."
Ray, Shawnte. "Auditory Subliminal Messaging in Children's Cartoons."
http://www2.bgsu.edu/departments/tcom/faculty/ha/tcom103fall2004/gp9/. Effects of
Cartoons on Children. 15 November 2004. Web. 5 February 2014.
This source is secondary. The author is Shawnte Ray and the date of publication is
November 15, 2004. I will use this article to gather information on auditory subliminal
messaging in children's cartoons. Shawnte Ray, "Auditory Subliminal Messaging in Children's
Cartoons."
Wilcox, Ben. "TV's Effects on Children's Behavior."
http://www2.bgsu.edu/departments/tcom/faculty/ha/tcom103fall2004/gp9/. Effects of
Cartoons on Children. 15 November 2004. Web. 5 February 2014.
This source is secondary. The author is Ben Wilcox and the date of publication is
November 15, 2004. I will use this article to gather information on how television effects
children's behavior. Ben Wilcox, "TV's Effect on Children's Behavior."
Ybarra, Brandon. "Increased Risk in Child Safety."
http://www2.bgsu.edu/departments/tcom/faculty/ha/tcom103fall2004/gp9/. Effects of
Cartoons on Children. 15 November 2004. Web. 5 February 2014.
This source is secondary. The author is Brandon Ybarra and the date of publication is
November 15, 2004. I will use this article to gather information on how television violence
increases the risk and child safety. Brandon Ybarra, "Increased Risk in a Child Safety."
Zehra, Roshan. "Effects of cartoons on childrens psychology & behaviour patterns."
<http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-128111-Effects-of-cartoons-on-
childrens-psychology-&-behaviour-patterns.> Effects of cartoons on childrens psychology &
behaviour patterns. 25 August 2012. Web. 8 March 2014.
The source is secondary. The author is Roshan Zehra. The date of publication is August 25,
2012. I will use this source to see how cartoons affect children's thought process and behavior
patterns.