How Media Impacts Child Development: Special Focus on Cartoons

The impact of media on child development is well documented. It is important to note that various studies have in the past indicated that the impact television has on the psychological development of children could either be positive or negative. For most families, cartoons are an inevitable part of the family’s entertainment mix.
It should be noted that cartoons aid early learning (Wyk, 2011). This is more so the case with regard to educational cartoons themed on learning content such as colors, numbers, as well as shapes. Here, learning is aided by the approach most educational cartoons adopt – i.e. an interactive and fun approach. According to Wyk (2011), when kids find learning to be an enjoyable undertaking, they are likely to retain more content. Razali, Buhari, and Rejani (2014) also point out that watching cartoons could be instrumental for a child’s cognitive skills development. This is more so the case when it comes to auditory and visual processing; as well as reasoning and logic.
It should, however, be noted that some have argued that cartoons also do have a negative impact on the development as well as behavior of children. In a study seeking to assess the impact cartoon programs have on the behavior as well as language of children who watch them, it was found that some children who watch cartoons seem to exhibit violent and aggressive behaviors towards their peers (Ghilzai, Alam, Ahmad, Shaukat, and Noor, 2017). In the same study, watching cartoons on TV for long periods of time was also associated with antisocial behavior amongst children. Future studies should focus on strategies that should be adopted in an attempt to minimize the adverse impact that cartoon watching has on children.
References
Ghilzai, S.A., Alam, R., Ahmad, Z., Shaukat, A. & Noor, S.S. (2017). Impact of Cartoon Programs on Children's Language and Behavior. Insights in Language Society and Culture, 2, 104-126.
Razali, N., Buhari, F.B. & Rejani, B. (2014). Impact of Barney and Friends Program on Cognitive Development among Early Childhood. Journal of Human Capital Development, 7(2), 79-96.
Wyk, M.M. (2017). The Use of Cartoons as a Teaching Tool to Enhance Student Learning in Economics Education. Journal of Social Sciences, 26(2), 117-130.