Iman Salim Nasser al Owaisi
Animation is an artistic and expressive medium that has undergone many developments from its inception until now. In the past, it relied on handmade techniques, providing lovable characters and engaging stories, to be a haven for children and adults. Nowadays, with the advent of 3D digital technology, it has expanded to include a wider audience, crossing the boundaries of age and culture.
Animation with its powerful influence and attractiveness plays an important role in various aspects of a child’s social, psychological, entertainment, and educational life. It enhances cultural understanding by watching stories and characters from different cultures and environments. Also, it is an important way to process and understand their feelings and experiences by impersonating characters and living in different scenarios.
In addition to using it to spread values such as friendship, courage, and integrity, which enhance the development of positive moral behavior in a child, Therefore, it is considered an effective tool for presenting scientific and historical information in a simplified and enjoyable way, making learning more interesting by providing a visual and entertaining narrative.
On the other hand, some cartoons may reinforce negative stereotypes that contribute to spreading false ideas that encourage socially unacceptable behaviors. Some violent or frightening content directed at children causes negative effects such as anxiety, fear, autism, and aggressive behavior. Dr Talal al Rawahi warned against a child sitting in front of the television without interacting, at the risk of exposing him to the autism spectrum.
Excessive reliance on animation to simplify information may lead to a superficial understanding of scientific or historical concepts and deprive students of developing critical thinking skills. Scientific studies also have shown that excessive watching of cartoons leads to addiction and a lack of physical activity.
The importance of creating a child-friendly media environment is determined by its value to the child in particular and society in general, and this importance may increase with the development of artificial intelligence and the increasing margin of freedom in creating animated content.
Dr Al Rawahi, a family consultant, confirms that “we really need a child-friendly media environment because values must be wrapped in fun.” So it is necessary to create a media environment that enables him to understand correctly and stimulates his level of creativity and innovation through diversifying cultural programs based on education and entertainment.
Dr Fatima al Ajmi, a writer and critic of children’s literature, confirmed, “We look at animation as an educational aspect for a child.” For that, the social responsibility that media bears towards children is an educational responsibility determined in development content that reflects broader cultural and social diversity and addresses contemporary issues in a manner appropriate for children.
Teachers must use animation as a teaching tool while providing the necessary context and discussion to help children understand the messages and topics directed to them. There is no doubt that parents monitor the content that their children follow. It is a responsibility and a duty to keep their reality and minds from distraction.
One of the smart solutions nowadays is a possibility of linking the TV to the parents’ account via the smartphone to monitor the content that their children follow which enhances the feeling of self-control and forms the conviction to understand the correct behaviors. And watching cartoons should be done with caution, and parents and educators should set limits on the time children spend in front of the screen.
(The author is a journalism student at Bayan College)
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