Introduction

If you take a stroll in a mall or pay attention to the screens of children’s iPads, you will notice a wide variety of cartoons playing most of which you will not be familiar with. Cartoons popular among children these days are much different from the cartoons the previous generation was exposed to. Animated cartoons are an integral part of children’s imaginative world, it is where they start developing their creativity, problem solving skills and emotional intelligence. Along with entertainment, cartoons have been a primary source of teaching children different emotions and social problems and how to respond to it. The interplay of visuals and story telling in animations evoke genuine emotions, forges deep relationships, influences and expands the cognitive processes of the viewer (Aminian, 2023). Karakas’ article on the uses of cartoons highlights the importance of supporting children’s curiosity using cartoons appropriate to their intellectual and emotional development, this will help enrich their real world understanding and bring up individuals who can effectively communicate in the future (Karakas, 2012).

Parents nowadays face an unprecedented problem of screen addiction among their children, behavioral anomalies and tantrums mark this new addiction among children where they display erratic and defiant behavior when denied a screen. Children raised in the digital era have increased rates of screen-related addiction, as well as compromised reward and impulse control systems in their brains. (Sigman, 2017). Parents have resorted to cartoons to pacify their children, what is it that cartoons these days have that they effectively keep children hooked on to their screens?

Gretchen Ingle, a former child specialist walks us through the impact overly stimulating shows have on children; flashy and fast paced shows overstimulate kids and give them momentary dopamine rush which leaves them craving for more stimulation. After sitting through an over stimulating show and passively receiving stimulations, it gets hard for children to get back into the real world and engage their brains (2023). Overstimulation from excessive exposure to bright lights, faced paced movements and loud sounds that are common factors in cartoons popular among toddlers nowadays can impair their sensory processing.

Digital Hypnosis: Screen Time and Passive Addiction

Passive screen time refers to the time spent by children watching a screen without actively engaging with the content, mindlessly and repeatedly consuming a game or an app. The main distinguishing factor between active and passive consumption is that passive consumption does not require the viewer’s creativity or interaction (Active vs passive screen time). Passive screen time manifests into worrying psychological problems in the younger generation like depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, etc. The most occuring result witnessed by parents and guardians when their children are exposed to overstimulating animations are that they come to get addicted to the show, their screens seem to be the only cure to their tantrums and sometimes the reason for their tantrums too. When children are denied their cartoon time they exhibit symptoms like anxiety, restlessness, defiant and disordered behaviors because the more time they spend passively in front of their screens the more they grow to look for the dopamine rush these stimulating shows give them leading them to lose interest in other recreational activities as the screens in front of them become their primary source of satisfaction due to the low effort they need to invest in them (Russell, 2024). The flashy nature of the shows, bright colors, fast paced animations, stimulating sounds is what makes these shows addictive and the addictive nature is what is a matter of concern here.

Mental imagery is an important milestone children need to pass in order to gain the ability to create real world representation without it actually being there and since passive screen time only seems to be engaging a child’s eyes and ears leaving out other senses like touch, taste and balance they seem to be hindering in this milestone. When a team of researchers conducted a study on 266 between the ages of 3-9, it was found that prolonged exposure to stimulants on a screen results in lower mental imagery development.

Why Do Your Cartoon Choices Matter?

It is not to say that children must be denied screens as that is impossible in this day and age but parents need to be mindful about the content their children are consuming. Attention to the animations of the cartoon the child is watching is also important in the long run. There were studies conducted to prove that fast paced cartoons negatively impact children’s executive function skills as these shows require increased cognitive resources to process which can be overwhelming for the young viewers, impacting their ability to focus and learn (Christakis, 2011). Cartoons are a necessity for children but it is always best to stick to the old classics where the animations are slow paced, softly colored and the sound effects are at a minimal level. These shows definitely do not lack in the quality of stories they deliver and are healthier for children’s neural pathways. The classics are less likely to be accompanied with the negative impacts modern cartoons bring like overstimulation.

Of course parents need not take a time machine to find appropriate cartoons for their kids as there are recent shows designed for children that have a slow paced and softly colored animation style like ‘Bluey’, an Australian animated series which is known for its calming and soothing effect besides being a reminiscent of classic cartoons. ‘Elinor Wonders Why’ is a PBS Kids series that is also a soft paced lightly colored animation that is educational and engages its viewers to learn social skills.

Conclusions

So to wrap it up, childhood screen addiction is a complex issue that is intimately connected to overstimulating elements of contemporary cartoons. Parents find themselves in a tough position since kids are amused and hooked on to their flashy, loud and colorful cartoons, which become factors for their erratic behavior and rebelliousness when their screen time is controlled. These stimulants cause a temporary spike in dopamine levels in children leading them to a vicious cycle of cravings and addiction that is hard to escape. These young developing minds require an environment that fosters healthy cognitive and emotional growth, which can be created by ensuring their screen time is safe, worthwhile, engaging and educational.

Authors: Numa Fathima is an undergraduate psychology major student at FLAME University, and Dr. Garima Rajan is Faculty of Psychology at FLAME University.