Children’s films are a serious marker today on the personalities and development of a child’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. On the one hand, it gives parents a little breathing space, it can result in a child’s developing language skills, or even bilingual skills, and it can be something that is also used as a social tool, where parents or other children, can gather and find a common interest or activity.
On the other hand, there is significant evidence that films for young children have become significantly more violent in recent years and that children are watching many more hours of programming through the medium of films. Films in generations past might have been viewed weekly at the
movie theatre, requiring one to get out of the house, to have sufficient money to go to the theatre, and usually a certain amount of socialization. Today, with the VCR and DVD’s, films available on the Internet, film viewing can be a daily activity, with the same films, e.g. a child’s favorite films, being watched over and over again. (In the case of television, a 1996 survey revealed that 8 out of 10 children’s cartoons were violent in nature.
Films are more powerful than
television in that there is more time for characters to be developed and therefore, characters can be more emotionally bonding. Also, even children’s films from years ago, such as Walt Disney movies, had significant amounts of both violence, as well as subjects of deep emotional significance. Disney had been subject to child abuse when young, and some of the scenes in his movies reflect that fact. (One scene in Pinocchio as an example, so strikingly resembles his own experience in being beaten by
his father, that it is close to being a reenactment of his own life’s experiences.
The deep wounds of child abuse are something that often stays with a person
long into his adult life and that can surface in various ways.) Bambi is an example of a child’s film, that was based on a novel written by a writer by the name of Salten, who was an Austrian Jew, living in Austria, before the Fascist occupation. The novel itself was an intense emotional work, Orwellian in nature (George Orwell-1984), and that was written at a level more for adults, than children. It somewhat paralleled the experiences of some Jews in being hunted down by the Nazis, 12 or so years later. There are underlying messages in the original Bambi novel of a subtle sexual nature, along the lines of incest of pedophilia also.
In Disney’s version, the sexual references are not so pronounced although the intensity of some of the scenes still is a tremendously emotional experience for a child. (Steven Speilberg, 2007, related the emotional effect of watching Bambi when a child, crying through the movie).
Peter Pan is another movie that was based on a play from 1904, the story of which was a tragic rendering of a mother’s attempt to sustain herself emotionally after the death or her son, Peter, being a real child, and Pan being the Greek god of music. When Disney produced the film, after WWII, Bambi was the only film produced during WWII by Disney studios, as they were involved heavily in producing war propaganda films during that time, he deliberately toned down the “darkness” of Peter Pan, lightening it up a bit, but also, deliberately added sufficient amounts of fighting and violence to attract audiences, as the studio was suffering financially and still deep in debt. Other more modern fantasy movies today, such as Monsters Inc., have deep psychological impact on young girls, the audience to whom such a movie is directed.
A large percentage of
children (kindergarten to teens) are watching extremely violent movies, such as R-rated slasher type, and violent horror movies. This is reflected in some of the art that they produce in the schools and it can leave deep psychological wounds on a child. So needless to say,
movies and
cartoons are exerting an influence on the psychology of children in the 21st century.
Children can be encouraged to take up
art from an early age. This has the tendency to calm them down, help them to develop self respect, and to strengthen their mind. It helps in controlling the
television and in cutting back in the amount of time at
movies. It can also help them to develop life skills that they can take with them when they get older. They can also develop their ability to create and reason through art. Art can be used as a
therapy tool as well, as
self help, with parents or caregivers, or with
professionals. It is very effective with
children and
teens.
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Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Parent's and Educator's Guidebook helps parents and educators learn what positive lifestyle changes and educational remediation can do to help children overcome symptoms of ADHD and depression without the need to resort to drugs.
Mommy, I'm Scared: How TV and Movies Frighten Children and What We Can Do to Protect Them
A wonderful book for parents, teachers and principals, to help them to realize the tremendous impact "scary" TV and movies can have on a child's emotions and psychological profile. R-rated movies and G-rated movies, as well as everything in between, can leave a deep emotional footprint on a child. What do parents need to be aware of? Since television and movies are a reality today, what can parents do?
