The Effects of Watching Children's TV Long Term

[Elmo]

Since around February this year, I've been watching Sesame Street on a regular basis. Sometimes I watched Daniel Tiger's Neighbourhood from time to time, but mostly Sesame Street.

I've noticed quite a few differences in my self after watching Sesame Street for around 6 months. When I watch "adult" TV shows, I feel A LOT more emotional than I used to. Could be as simple as increased suspense, or even be as extreme as feeling "traumatised" after watching a violent show. For example, I used to watch Black Mirror. Now, I stop watching it because it had such a toll on me.

So, I know mostly watch Sesame Street, and some shows without much violence.

Has someone experienced similar effects? Any other effects I didn't mention here?

 

[Dyllybar]

Interesting. I'm trying to get into preschooler programs. Its hard though. Ill be keeping tabs on this topic.

 

[redsan]

I still really enjoy watching cartoons. Such as Gravity Falls, Duck Tales, Loud House, The Owl House and so on.

 

[Maromi]

You'd probably become accustomed to whatever the show does repetitively. Or the theme in general.
I watched a ton of one show with gadgets they pull out every episode and I'm used to there being some theme with gadgets.

 

[dogboy]

Yeah, when I'm regressing, especially when I wake up in the morning with a wet diaper, I'll say into my controller, "PBS Kids" and often it's Daniel Tiger in the morning and I've really grown to like the show. I really love "Elinor Wonders Why". I don't think it effects how I feel looking at adult shows as once I'm out of bed and showered, I'll go into the kitchen, make a cup of coffee and watch The Today Show.

I too stopped watching "The Black Mirror" because it got depressing. The only episode I liked was the one that starred Mily Cyrus. She was quite good in it and it had a good ending, unlike all the other ones I watched.

 

[feetintrouble]

I've sometimes noticed this if I have several weeks without watching TV at all. When I do then watch something, especially if it's well done, it really captivates me, and I feel the emotions deeply, which can be a good thing as well as bad. I really loved "Frozen" the first time I watched it. I don't often binge on children's TV, but sometimes I do if I'm in the right mood. Some shows I have watched a lot of lately have been Rosie and Jim, and Camberwick Green (an oldie and a goodie, about British folk doing everyday things).

It's an interesting question, though: as a real child, I feel I missed out on the experience of being "captivated" by children's TV, books, plays etc, as I had a habit of analysing them like an adult, even at a young age. I wasn't often "surprised" by what they did. I remember watching Play School, aged six, and seeing "Here we have some chimney pots: one, two, three, four...", and I just knew there would be ten altogether. And there were! The presenter then went on to sing about a crow who would only sit on one particular chimney pot. "Only number six would suit that fussy old crow.", and I wondered and wondered "why number six in particular?". I remember noticing how predictable children's stories could be as well: I almost sighed when I read Snow White and Rose Red, again aged six, and at the end... guess what... the bear in the story was a handsome prince who had been enchanted, like in Beauty and the Beast. Also, theatre trips: I was far more interested in the stage lights and mechanics of the theatre than what the actors were doing, and I remember being puzzled that the actors were clearly adults pretending to be children. Sometimes I feel that wanting to be "little" is to have the experience of being "wowed" by things like this, which I often wasn't as a child.

 

[PurpleScorpion]

Hmmmm... I wonder how Power Rangers fits into this equation.

Media and little space don't really intersect with me so I'm sort of an outside observer on this front.

 

[siysiy]

I enjoy cartoons things like How to Train Your Dragon. And other things on Nickelodeon. But I also reading the Beano.

 

[PaddedBritany]

I enjoy watching the shows I did when I was a toddler. I find it puts me in a very very baby-ish mood.

 

[patrick1776]

I noticed a bit of a change in my personality after I started watching preschooler shows like Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, and Lion Guard. It was hard to get into them at first because they are kind of cheesy and obvious. Once you get past that though and get used to watching them though, they can be a lot of fun, but anything else you watch suddenly feels strange.

I wouldn't say that it takes a toll on me to watch adult shows after getting used to watching little kid shows, but I definitely feel differently watching them. Similar to getting used to watching a soap opera and then watching a regular show, it just feels like something is a bit off.

 

[Elmo]

I noticed a bit of a change in my personality after I started watching preschooler shows like Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, and Lion Guard.

I’ve noticed this too. I’m not regressing or something like that like that, but I’m definitely not the same person I was a year ago. I’m way more socialable than I used to be.

However, I’m making big changes in my life right now, and the past events of last year had an impact on everyone, so it could be a coincidence.

 

[AJFan2020]

I find that I’m able to watch shows like Cocomelon if I am in little space, but the rest of the time it is too boring and repetitive.

Right now I tend to watch a baby/kids show like Cocomelon and then follow it up with an adult show like Seinfeld. It’s fairly easy to do this since they are both on Netflix right now.

Also, by doing this maybe I can reduce the negative social and intellectual effects (if any) of watching kids shows.

 

[BobbiSueEllen]

I watch a lot of MeTV and PBS Kids since joyfully becoming a Cable-Cutter. I haven't looked back at all...in this realm, The Big Three and other similar networks are dead.

I'm utterly tired of politics, violence and the push of morality out of the grey and into the full-dark. TV is not at all what it used to be in the early '90s and before; it's incredibly worse. Add 'reality TV' into the equation and it's utterly stupid. My top choices on PBS Kids are Peep and the Big Wide World, Martha Speaks!, Word World, Elinor Wonders Why and, of course, Arthur. I used to watch Peg + Cat but that got old after awhile, owing to the creator's personal political convictions interjected into the show on occasion...and the girl's shrill voice. Some episodes of Arthur have leaned political...and political polarizing an episode kills it. We're trying to create citizens, not drones...which is why I'm watching PBS and not those other networks I mentioned earlier.

Watching most of PBS' offerings have helped my perception & mood a lot. When was the last time anyone ever said that after watching the current 'mainstream' hubris & drivel?

As far as MeTV...they carry all the shows I watched as a kid & teen: M*A*S*H, Green Acres, Carol Burnett & Friends, ADAM-12, The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, The Twilight Zone...and just started airing Looney Tunes, Popeye and other cartoons in the mornings! And sometimes I venture off and watch some Decades Network offerings. On Sunday & Thursday nights it's Movies! Network and watch some Sunday/Thursday Night Noir. These are what make my existence a very happy one...

...and never fear: y'all and ADISC do the same happy for me, too!

 

[TD712]

My favorite shows or movies when little are Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Finding Nemo, The Lion King and some others

 

[HappyNappin]

I find that I’m able to watch shows like Cocomelon if I am in little space, but the rest of the time it is too boring and repetitive.

Right now I tend to watch a baby/kids show like Cocomelon and then follow it up with an adult show like Seinfeld. It’s fairly easy to do this since they are both on Netflix right now.

Also, by doing this maybe I can reduce the negative social and intellectual effects (if any) of watching kids shows.

Cocomelon creaps me out, I don't know why but it does.
Most of the latest generation CGI cartoons do nothing for me there clinical and lack something.
I'm not sure if it's still on TV but I spent several days watching Oswald the octopus once on holiday and I found it very captivating.

 

[AJFan2020]

Cocomelon creaps me out, I don't know why but it does.
Most of the latest generation CGI cartoons do nothing for me there clinical and lack something.
I'm not sure if it's still on TV but I spent several days watching Oswald the octopus once on holiday and I found it very captivating.

It’s probably because the Cocomelon characters have large eyes and it seems like they are always giggling (especially the younger ones).

 

[abdl86]

Interesting topic.

But maybe it can be something mind related that you get use to watching something that is more soft and teaching and when you suddenly switch it make some rough awaking of the mind?

 

[KittyninjaW]

I watch a lot of MeTV and PBS Kids since joyfully becoming a Cable-Cutter. I haven't looked back at all...in this realm, The Big Three and other similar networks are dead.

I'm utterly tired of politics, violence and the push of morality out of the grey and into the full-dark. TV is not at all what it used to be in the early '90s and before; it's incredibly worse. Add 'reality TV' into the equation and it's utterly stupid. My top choices on PBS Kids are Peep and the Big Wide World, Martha Speaks!, Word World, Elinor Wonders Why and, of course, Arthur. I used to watch Peg + Cat but that got old after awhile, owing to the creator's personal political convictions interjected into the show on occasion...and the girl's shrill voice. Some episodes of Arthur have leaned political...and political polarizing an episode kills it. We're trying to create citizens, not drones...which is why I'm watching PBS and not those other networks I mentioned earlier.

Watching most of PBS' offerings have helped my perception & mood a lot. When was the last time anyone ever said that after watching the current 'mainstream' hubris & drivel?

As far as MeTV...they carry all the shows I watched as a kid & teen: M*A*S*H, Green Acres, Carol Burnett & Friends, ADAM-12, The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, The Twilight Zone...and just started airing Looney Tunes, Popeye and other cartoons in the mornings! And sometimes I venture off and watch some Decades Network offerings. On Sunday & Thursday nights it's Movies! Network and watch some Sunday/Thursday Night Noir. These are what make my existence a very happy one...

...and never fear: y'all and ADISC do the same happy for me, too!

Same here. I also watch when I can Nature Cat, Let's go Luna and Word Girl. I love Word Girl. I don't watch as much PBS kids as I did due to my life as of now, but I do watch a lot of animated movies. Mostly old ones like the Shrek series, Megamind, and some anime, however I do watch some new ones too. Also Politics is the worse.

 

[Sidewinder]

Most of the latest generation CGI cartoons do nothing for me.

Most of the latest CGI cartoons have no appeal to me, either, as I tend to favor 2D cel animation and early stop-motion and that in itself comes from being an art connoisseur.

I watch anything with Stop-motion and find myself admiring the artistry and craftsmanship that went into the making and the photographic process it took to make an inanimate sculpture come to life on film.

Stuff like the dinosaurs in the 1925 film, the Lost World, the title character of the 1933 film, King Kong, the Skeletons in the 1961 film, Jason and the Argonauts, the holographic chess pieces, and the Imperial walkers in the Star Wars Trilogy.

And my personal favorite, the mythological creatures, like Medusa, Bubo, the Golden Owl, Pegasus, and the Kraken in the 1981 film, Clash of the Titans.