Do you think cartoons are harmful to kids?

Question

why and why not?

Answer 1

I remember the smurfs, the snorks, fraggle rock,  heman, shera, thundercats, etc.

At the conclusion of every show there seemed to be a moral in there somewhere that they were trying to teach.  That has gone away with most of the nick and cartoon network shows for grade schoolers.  Some of the new shows are cute but many of them show attitude.  Also in the animated ones out now there is alot going on in the background... like flashes or swirls or whatever.  This isn't good for the brain.  

When the kids are young thier brain is learning when to expect stimuli.  With all the flashing on the screen they are getting extra new stimuli every second or minute- not even just the characters on the show.  Then in other situations the brain is looking for that stimulation, and if too used of it, will not want to pay attention to other more mundane things, like reading or legos, or when older how will they sit through a lecture?

This is where more and more kids are considered add.  Are they genetically that way? no.  Some are.   And some it doesn't even bother, but alot of children it does, and they have to be reconditioned now, not by meds, but with how much stimuli they get every day.

P.S.  Video games included.

Answer 2

COZ THEY R ONLY THING LEFT FOR KIDS TO WATCH ON TV U  DONT HAVE ANY CHOICE DO U.IF NOT THIS WHAT THEY WILL WATCH ALL THOSE ADULT THINGS

Answer 3

Yes because they influence the kids way of thinking. It gives them a more innocent look to the world. I guess video gaming is better because it enhances the child's thinking skills.

Answer 4

No, why would they be? If they are geared towards children they are fine! Granted I wouldn't let a preschooler watch South Park, but it's fine!

Answer 5

no unless it controls there lives, they should be limited on how much the t.v. they watch but if they start gain weight take t.v. away until they are more active or somthing

Answer 6

It certainly depends on the cartoon and the age/maturity of the child.  My son loves to watch The Berenstain Bears (he loves the books, too), but the stories all teach good life lessons while they entertain.

Answer 7

In response to Hugh W:

I don't think that cuss words and sexual words are in school dictionaries. South Park is NOT a children's show, nor it is even a teen show. It is an ADULT show with very mature themes, and I know of many adults who don't even watch it because they feel that, while some episodes are funny, it is a very vulgar show.

Answer 8

If you are referring to T.V. shows then yes to some of them, like Family Guy, it has bad language, drugs, violence, bad images, and bad cartoon figures.

Answer 9

Yes, you have to monitor what cartoons your children watch. One that is not allowed in our house The Simpson's.

( Connie Mom of 4 )

Answer 10

some are definitely on cartoon network they have the adult swim which my child has never been aloud to watch and it goes without saying comedy central is aimed toward adults but even Disney movies and cartoons made for kids should be monitored for your personal preference for your child i don't like my son watching things that have fighting, hurting others (even the bad guys) or any violence because he tries to copy cat it with me and his father being the bad guys

Answer 11

thier are a lot of cartoons that educate. there are also some that  

are just pointless.  the violent ones are interesting to older kids but dont teach em much other than how to fight, or pick a fight.

Answer 12

Only those on Adult Swim and South Park. Plus, anything with witchcraft. wizards of Waverly Place, Courage the cowardly dog, and teen titians = bad. I'm not allowed to watch them.

Answer 13

Obviously there are some cartoons that are intended for adult audiences.  It goes without saying that kids shouldn't be watching those.  Any cartoon can be harmful  in my opinon... even if it's a good educational one... here's why...

a lot of parents rely on their tv's as babysitters.  Instead of spending time with their children reading  and playing games and going outside, they are plopping them in front of the tv.  It's sad, but I see so many parents do it.  Cartoons are fine, and totally harmless as long as they (actually, tv in general) are limited.  There is no reason why a child should be watching more than 2 hours of tv a day.  It makes them lazy and prevents them from doing activities that promote a healthy lifestyle.  I don't know that I would call them 'harmful', but parents need to make sure that our kids are being stimulated by things other than cartoons.

Answer 14

yes and no

Yes:

some show things which influence kids in a bad way, like south park and don't help them establish right and wrong

No:

some can be very educational, have a good moral and a just good harmless fun for the kids.

Answer 15

Nope, and Souht Park, Family Guy, Etc. only use modern launguadge, so there is nothin wrong considering those words are in SCHOOL DICTIONARYS.

Answer 16

absolutely...I watched smurfs as a child and ended up in a mental institute because I was obsessed with being blue and had nightmares about gargamel coming for me.

that's sarcasm folks ;)

no cartoons are not harmful however now a days they do make a few cartoons not meant for children such as south park, simpsons, and family guy to name a few.

Answer 17

it's not that i think that cartoons are harmful ...

... it's just that i think they're not as helpful to kids as playing outside, doing a puzzle, reading a book, building with blocks, playing with friends, or doing whatever else they could be doing instead.

but i do think that advertisements are harmful to kids.

Answer 18

Yes some are, Things like South Park, Family Guy, & American Dad should never be seen by kids under 18 years.

Also The Simpson's should not be seen by kids under 16 years.

Answer 19

Depends on the cartoons & how much time they spend watching tv. Family guy, South Park & cartoons of that nature are totally inappropriate. For cartoons on tv I let my daughter watch treehouse, there really age approprate for her & most of the programs are educational.

Answer 20

I think that South Park could be because of all that is in it and it has a lot of language, sexual themes, etc...

Answer 21

Some shows are.