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Title: Do Children's Media Content Overstep the Mark? An Analysis of Gender-Based Problematic, Evil and Criminal Themes Presented in Children's Cartoon Shows
Authors: Attia Zulfiqar, Qasim Mahmood, Adiba Akhtar
Journal: Human Nature Journal of Social Sciences (HNJSS)
Publisher: Human Nature Research Publisher
Country: Pakistan
Year: 2023
Volume: 4
Issue: 1
Language: English
Keywords: TelevisionEntertainmentChildren CartoonProblematic ThemesCriminal ActivitiesBad MannerEvil Activities
Aim of the Study: In todays’ world, media and technology have become central components for children so far their entertainment is concerned. Electronic media especially children’s television entertainment programs have been facing strong criticism for their negative impacts on young viewers. The current paper was designed to explore the gender-based criminal and evil activities, bad manners and problematic themes in children cartoon shows.
Methodology: A total of 34 hours long data containing 150 episodes (N=150) of three channels namely Disney, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon were randomly collected.
Findings: Using qualitative and quantitative content analysis overall bad Manners occurred at 44 % (n=232/523) almost 7 activities per hour (n= 34 hours) and 3 activities per episode (n=150). Evil activities at 37% (n=195/523) is at the second number with an average of 5 incidents per hour (n=34hours) and 2 incidents per episode (n=150) followed by criminal activities at 18% (n=96 /523) with an average of 3 incidents per hour (n=34hours).
Conclusion: The study found that the male characters were more dominantly shown in displaying different criminal, evil and problematic attitudes as compared to female characters. Female characters were emotionally and physically under pressure to carry on the evil activities commanded by male characters.
To explore gender-based criminal, evil activities, bad manners, and problematic themes in children's cartoon shows.
A qualitative and quantitative content analysis was conducted on 150 episodes (34 hours) of content from Disney, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon. Problematic themes were coded based on the gender of the exhibitor.
graph TD;
A["Select Cartoon Shows"] --> B["Collect Episodes"];
B --> C["Content Analysis"];
C --> D["Quantitative Analysis"];
C --> E["Qualitative Analysis"];
D --> F["Identify Problematic Themes & Frequencies"];
E --> G["Analyze Thematic Representation"];
F --> H["Analyze Gender Involvement"];
G --> H;
H --> I["Draw Conclusions"];
The study suggests that children's cartoon shows often portray male characters engaging in criminal, evil, and bad-mannered behaviors, which can influence young viewers' understanding of gender roles and acceptable conduct. The content's focus on sensationalism and comedy can normalize harmful actions.
Bad manners were the most prevalent problematic theme (44%), followed by evil activities (37%) and criminal activities (18%). Male characters were significantly more involved in exhibiting all three types of problematic themes compared to female characters.
Children's cartoon shows, often perceived as harmless entertainment, are actively contributing to the unethical development of young minds by presenting problematic themes, particularly through male characters. There is an urgent need to re-evaluate and rearrange the themes developed in children's media content.
- A total of 150 episodes, spanning 34 hours, were analyzed.
- Bad manners occurred at 44% (n=232/523), evil activities at 37% (n=195/523), and criminal activities at 18% (n=96/523).
- Male characters were involved in 92.7% of criminal activities, 64.1% of evil activities, and 81.0% of bad manners.
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