Are Cartoons Bad for Children's Health?

[ydoaPs]

there is A LOT of truth to that statement

[brave_new_world]

In my perspective T.V. is just like a drug. It's ok for kids to watch it once in a while but you shoudn't let them become addicted.

 

I am not an expert, but i'd be scared that kids who constantly watch T.V rather then playing make-believe games will lose out on developing thier imagination and creativity to their highest potential.

 

If you were to turn this into a consiracy theory, you could say the big corporations behind the television channals are able to raise our kids to act and think like they want them to. The future children will then become perfect drones to "the system".

And they will then watch the reality shows ,which are defintely worse.

 

Is it just me or do reality shows seem like the 1st step towords the "family screens" in Farenheit 451?

[coquina]

My grandson is 13 - his father lets him watch unlimited amounts of TV and cartoons. I was in the house when one of them was on, and I was not believing what I was hearing. It was obviously a cartoon intended for adults.

 

I think it is a mistake to allow children to watch a lot of TV - especially in their early years. I have always been a reader, and I always enjoy books more than movies because when I read I form mental pictures in my mind about what the characters and the setting look like. Later on, when I see a movie that was made from a book, I am always disappointed, because I liked my characters and settings better.

 

When a child watches a lot of movies and TV, their mind doesn't have to do that extra processing - the pictures are given to them along with the audio portion. It becomes more difficult for them to form mental images. This can be detrimental to the learning process.

 

BTW - do any of you have a "photographic memory"? When I was in school, I did, and it was pretty good. When I took a test I could mentally flip through a textbook or my notes and "see" what I had written, word for word. If I was studying and wanted to look something up - I could "see" the page where the information was written, and sometimes I could actually "see" the page number.

[Dave]

I completely agree. My education was enhanced a lot by reading books. Admittedly, I did watch a couple hours of TV a day, but not excessive quantities.