Violent Cartoons and Children

[UltraMarknus]

As XMas present discussions start...it just makes me think of how I like to buy TFs for the boys in and around my family.

And on that note...I just think about my nephew. My Sister and her husband have always been very much against violent cartoons. When they found out that their first daughter would watch TF with me, they made it an issue and we had to stop. But their son and daughters, to an extent, have no problems taking a swat at eachother. Whereas, my daughter, who has been exposed to TF G1 to Movieverse, since...all her 6 yrs...has never lifted a finger in anger to anyone.

Just wondering what other people's thoughts/experiences have been in regards to this?

Is it the old "take something away from a child and they will find other ways to get it" argument?

[Poho]

i don't think it has anything to do with transformers so much as how they're being raised.

if you tell your kid that drugs are terrible and try to scare them and try to make them never try drugs, it's all the more likely that they will try it.

replace drugs with violence in that sentence :P

[Mumps]

Violent cartoons do not cause violent behavior in kids, as long as the PARENTS can make it clear to the children that what they are watching is fiction and not to be repeated in real life.

A prime example is, well, most parents today. Cartoons are not even close to as violent as they were when our parents were kids, and this generation of kids is far more violent than our parents generation. I see so many unfit parents walking through the malls and everywhere, it makes me sick...

I am going to go away from that for the rest of my post.

Violent cartoons can have an affect on a childs behavior. Any show that they enjoy can. I mean, all of you, as kids, immitated some of your cartoon/tv show heroes. As a kid, we'd play "Power Rangers!" outside, with pretend weapons and roles. One big LARP, without actually knowing what LARP was XD. But we were smart enough to know that if I punched little Bradley in the face, he'd be hurt, and vice versa. We knew the rules of real life, and the concequences of doing anything.

I do NOT agree that ANY kids should be kept away from the stuff that was written and meant for their eyes!

I knew a family whose kids were very very underexposed to everything. They were not allowed to watch 3/4 of the shows on TV, their favorite show until they were like... 15 was "Veggie Tales". And they were not allowed to partisipate in Halloween cause it went against their religion... (Funny, cause Halloween is a Christian holiday, even if half of the kids are dressed as Demons ).

[Mega-Prime 316]

The whole debate on violent behavior kinda makes me laugh. Having grown up through the late 70's and 80's(yes I was born waaaay back in 1973!) I have heard more links to violence to TV, rock, rap,video games and role play games like Dungeons & Dragons then you can imagine. I think what it all boils down to, how the child is raised by the parents. I grew up watching shows like Transformers, Buck Rogers, Battle Star Galactica, Star Wars, Star Trek(all of em except Enterprise), Robotech, The A-Team, and Knight Rider just to name a few and I also played D&D and I have never, or any of my friends have ever commited any sort of crime. Our parents all had kinda the same views and they all made it clear to us that what we saw in these shows was only on TV and if WE actually were to do this we would get hurt or there would be consequences to our actions.(I.E. trips to the hospital, visits by law enforcement ect...)
To touch on the parenting thing, some parents need to know their role and not be the kids BFF, but be the PARENT that can, and will speak to the kids and try to help them through life, not sit down and hang with kids and their friends.
Well thats my 2 cents.

[soundwaveCA]

Because blaming a cartoon is just easier that blaming yourself.

[Team Jetfire]

Every family is different, but we have never really limited the cartoons that our kids have watched and I would define my son as being very typical. That being said, there were a few kids shows that I didn't let him watch including Power Rangers. He very much likes to emulate the stuff that he watches and I did not need a 4 year old karate chopping and Hi-yaing his little sister...or even worse his father.

The other limitations are shows like Family Guy, American Dad and new Simpsons. The old Simpsons if fine IMO. I almost prefer the Old Looney Tunes cartoons over new stuff though, but I will let them watch pretty well anything that, as Mumps so greatly put it, was made for their eyes.

Video games are a little tougher. For the most part I will let him play Teen rated games, but it really depends on the game. Again, knowing what he is like, I think that most games rates Teen are fine for him, but it varies. I draw the line at Mature even though he really wants to watch me play God Of War 2. It just seems to me that his is too young to be shown such images and desensitized by it, so he knows not to push it...

I guess when it comes down to it, parents have that responsibility to ensure that they make the correct choices for their kids.

[Robimus]

I really believe kids just need to have the proper view of what is reality and what is acceptable behavior.

Parents are likely going to have a pretty solid handle on how their kids react to different things.

I think I turned out alright on a diet that went from Looney Toons to G.I.Joe to Jaws to Night of the Living Dead. But then I always had a strong foundation of what was real and what behavior was acceptable in life.

That foundation didn't come from watching or not watching cartoons.

[Black Cat]

Originally Posted by soundwaveCA

Because blaming a cartoon is just easier that blaming yourself.

Not only that, but all parents look for now is something to blame. "My child grew up to be violent because he ate candy when he was little." "My child is violent because of cartoons and video games."

Yes, it is important to shield children from certain things when they are of a certain age, because maybe it is too mature for them, fine. But from what I've seen, children are more likely to copy what they see from the adults in their lives, not what they see on a screen.

[astrana]

you guys got watch this video

http://www.gossipgamers.com/pokemon-...hip-the-devil/

apparently, pokemon is a way to worship devil

[Black Cat]

Originally Posted by astrana

you guys got watch this video

http://www.gossipgamers.com/pokemon-...hip-the-devil/

apparently, pokemon is a way to worship devil

So is Harry Potter. And Spongebob is gay.