Cartoon violence
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Violence in cartoons. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2011. |
Cartoon violence represents violent actions involving animated characters and situations. This may include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted.
Cartoons have existed on broadcast television for about seven decades [1]. When they first came out, they aired on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Many of the cartoon characters that people are most familiar with are Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Daffy Duck, and Popeye. These were not actually created for television, but were initially displayed in theaters. Cartoons initially developed in the teens, but their development was slowed by their unaffordable cost. Teenagers weren’t interested in the cartoons so it became more expensive to air them on television if they didn’t have an audience watching them. Steamboat Willie, in 1928, was the first significant cartoon. Cartoons had been created by small studios with limited access to theaters. But in the 1930s, major studios such as Paramount, Warners, Universal, and MGM signed deals with the cartoon studios. The Late 1930s to 1950s were a “golden era” for the cartoons. Cartoons started their emigration to television in the late 1940s when Van Beuren started to market their catalogue to early children’s programs. One of these included Movies for Small Fry. The early 1960s was when cartoons first became an established television feature. At this time there were two major controversies: commercialization/merchandising and violence. The issue of violence in cartoons and its impact on behavior has yet to be resolved.
Debates
People have different views about cartoons and the violence within them. Some researchers believe that high level of violence in cartoons can make children more aggressive.[2] Their studies also found that young children tend to mimic the negative behavior they see on television. Output aimed at children as young as seven, which include a number of cartoons, had the highest levels of violence.
Some researches on the other hand believe that people need to consider the ways in which children process information, the amount of mental effort they invest, and their own life experience to gain an understanding of how television violence affects children. For instance recent research has indicated that children do not appear to mimic acts of violence in the media, whether television or cartoons [3].
Prevention
There are a number of ways parents can control their children’s exposure to violence.[4] One of the most effective and common ways of prevention is restricting the amount and types of programs children watch. With older children, parents might want to discuss, and explain television. This can help children to understand television material and overcome the effect TV violence has on their outlook and behaviors.
Effects
Effects of cartoon violence on youth remain controversial. Research has generally been divided on this issue [5] with no consensus reached regarding the effects of violence on behavior.
References
- ^ Butler, Jeremy (2010). "Cartoons". MBC. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- ^ Clark, Laura. "Cartoon violence 'makes children more aggressive'". Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 2010-03-34.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Christopher J. Ferguson, (2010) "Video Games and Youth Violence: A Prospective Analysis in Adolescents", Journal of Youth and Adolescence
- ^ Josephson, Wendy (2010). "Television Violence: A Review of the Effects on Children of Different Ages". Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- ^ Steven Kirsh, (2006) "[Cartoon violence and aggression in youth]", Aggression and Violent Behavior