Some parents in Abuja on Sunday expressed concern about the negative influence and effects of cartoon videos on their children.
Parents, in separate interviews with the Nigerian News Agency , said that watching cartoon shows had a significant effect on children’s behaviour.
They said the impact was both negative and positive, adding that most children behave by copying the behaviors they see on the shows.
Mrs. Amaka Ezukwuoke, a housewife in Kubwa, said that her children had neglected their studies and housework due to cartoons on TV and were hallucinating most of the time.
“My son screams in his sleep after watching some cartoon videos. They often think that what they see is real, so they try to put it into practice at home.
“This makes it harmful and I don’t see some of these cartoons as being educational.
“Whenever my children watch cartoons, they forget everything else, which is very disturbing.
“They spend more time on cartoons than reading, even when I send them on errands, they get annoyed by the cartoon.
“I’m trying to reduce the time they spend on cartoons,” said Ezukwuoke.
Apo resident Ms. Justina Oluwa said that the cartoons now promote sexual content such as lesbianism and homosexuality that could be harmful to children.
“I was shocked when I watched one of these cartoons with my kids and I saw two girls in a relationship and my kids were so into the cartoon.
“I immediately turned off the channel and told them never to watch that cartoon again,” he said.
Oluwa said he took it upon himself to always monitor the kind of cartoons his children watch and warn them not to learn such acts that do not praise God.
“I advise parents to always watch these cartoons with their children to know what they see.
“Most of this cartoon content is what these white people are trying to promote in our country and it needs to be stopped before it gets out of hand,” he said.
Ms. Veronica Abel, a resident of Bwari, said she does her best to monitor the cartoons her children watch to make sure they are educational.
“My children love to watch this cartoon in particular and it is very educational and entertaining.
“I’ve also come to like it because of how educational it is. I advise parents not to watch cartoons just as cartoons because there are many negative things that children learn from watching these cartoons.
“Also, some cartoons have an effect on children, as they will start to learn certain bad things that they are not supposed to know at their young age.
“When that happens, it can be dangerous for the child’s upbringing,” Abel said.
Mr. Ochiaka Uche, a teacher, said that cartoons have both a positive and negative influence on children.
Uche said that a cartoon could be used to teach a child to speak decently, control his temper, listen to his parents and work in a group without hating or being jealous of his friends.
According to him, cartoon content can teach a child some positive skills, such as being a leader, thinking about acting, analyzing problems, managing risks, and even making a child like sports.
“At the same time, a cartoon can be far more dangerous than any experience a child has seen before.
“It may contain content that would confuse them. May contain instructions contrary to parental guidance.
“A wrong cartoon can cause a child to have different, unwanted points of view about their parents, friends and teachers,” he said.
