We Analyze With Psychologist Larisa Surkova: How Many Children To Watch Cartoons During The Holidays And Which Ones Are Better

Larisa Surkova (@larangsovet), PhD in Psychology and mother of five children, has written a new book from the Dunya's Tales series. And at the request of BeautyHack gives an answer before the long New Year holidays to the eternal question: are cartoons safe? And how much to watch at what age.

Larisa Surkova

- I am regularly asked to disassemble the next cartoon and prove that it is dangerous for the child's psyche. Some cartoons can really provoke aggression, but I still urge you to carefully evaluate what is broadcast in cartoons and, as they say, not to go too far.

Here I would like to recall the cartoon "Masha and the Bear", which regularly gets into the ratings of the most dangerous cartoons for a child. Why it happens? The fact is that "Masha and the Bear" can be started by children over 5-6 years old, who are already able to discuss the plot, draw certain conclusions. Small children, in turn, are unable to understand Masha's eccentric behavior. Moreover, for babies “Masha and the Bear” has a zombie effect that is fraught with overexcitement: each episode is made up of pieces lasting 30-45 seconds, the plots are constantly changing, and this greatly tires the child who is not yet able to analyze what he saw.

There are a number of simple recommendations that will help minimize the risks to the child's psyche associated with watching cartoons:

1. Up to three years old, a child can do without cartoons and not be interested in them. This does not hinder the development of the child and should not cause you any concerns.
2. No more than 30-40 minutes a day - so much time can be devoted to watching cartoons.
3. Do not play cartoons for your child an hour before bedtime.

I also urge parents to stop being afraid of the so-called "hidden meanings". For example, showing a male couple in the cartoon "Storks" will in no way affect your son's sexual orientation, and a girl who adores "Moana" will not turn into a masculine feminist. The child learns behavioral patterns not from cartoons, but from the family, therefore, if love and mutual help reign in the house, the cartoon "Frozen", for example, will not make your child angry.

It is necessary to come to terms with the fact that cartoons are increasingly becoming an object for certain speculations, and do not forget that you yourself, and not the cartoonists, set the main example for your children.

Let's remember ourselves: which of us became a heavy smoker because of the smoking wolf or inherited the victim syndrome from the hare?

If you nevertheless noticed that the child began to repeat after the bad character, the latter should be carefully studied, try to understand why the hero is attracted to the baby, and, of course, discuss the situation with the child. Ask your child what they like about the villain and why they don't like good characters, then try to subtly explain why a bad hero isn't the best role model. The main thing is not to impose on the child love for goodies, as this can have the opposite effect.

I would like to recommend the following cartoons to parents:

1. "Fixies". Watching is useful for both children and adults.
2. "Malyshariki". The creators of the cartoon are well versed in child psychology, so all episodes are absolutely safe.
3. "Coco's Secret". Suitable for children over 4 years old, will explain many difficult topics.
4. "Partially cloudy". Cartoon for children over 5 years old, which will tell about the importance of friendship and love.
5. "Puzzle". The cartoon raises many very important topics, so it is worth revisiting it repeatedly.