How to watch cartoons without harming your child
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Continuing the topic of the dangers of cartoons for children
Parents should not look for methods of prohibition but approach the formation of the screen menu wisely.
Here are some tips on how to do it:
✓ Duration of viewing.
According to WHO recommendations, children aged 1-2 should watch TV for no more than 10 minutes a day. Children aged 3-4 years - 20 minutes a day. Children aged 5-6 years - 30 minutes a day. Children 7-9 years old - up to 1 hour a day.
✓ The purpose of the watching.
Sociologists conducted a survey of parents on the topic of harm/benefit of TV for children. 70% said that watching cartoons and TV programs is useful. But is it so?
Before choosing a cartoon, think about the goal. Will it benefit your child? Filter the content carefully, do not let them watch everything, especially if it is horror or movies/programs with an age limit.
✓ Watch together.
Watching cartoons can unite the family if you watch them together. Then you can discuss the plot, and ask your child questions: what they liked, what they remembered, how they would change the plot, etc.
✓ Do not watch TV before bedtime.
In order not to disrupt melatonin production, it is better to watch cartoons in the morning. This also includes the recommendation regarding the distance to the screen. It is better to have a large screen and keep it at a sufficient distance from the child's eyes - about 2 meters.
✓ Do not eat while listening to a cartoon.
It is a very common habit to eat while watching TV. It forms unconscious eating, in which the child does not control the onset of satiety and overeats. This results in poor digestion and weight gain.
✓No background music.
Passive TV watching harms children's cognitive function. They are surrounded by information noise for a long time, their psyche is overloaded with things they don't need to know yet and are generally not interested in. And there is no longer any resource left to comprehend really important things (study, research, or just ask questions).