10 Things to Consider When Choosing Which Cartoons to Let Your Child Watch

While the American Academy of Pediatrics takes a fairly strong stance on television for children, recommending that parents limit media use in order to avoid potential attention problems, sleep disorders and academic difficulties, many parents opt to take a more lenient tack when it comes to television. With so much programming on the airwaves directed at the smaller set, its important to realize that not all animated shows are created equal. These are ten of the things you should keep in mind when you build an approved list of programming for your children.

1. Violent Content – In the past, violence and cartoons have gone together like the proverbial peas and carrots. As more parents express concern over the level of violence contained in the average animated show, even that of an unrealistic nature, more creators have taken those concerns under consideration. Though there is a wealth of non-violent animated content available, there's still plenty of old-school cartoon violence that exists on the airwaves, even today. It's wise to screen a few episodes of a show for any violent content to be aware of what your kids will be watching.
2. Educational Merit – For the most part, parents of previous generations considered cartoons to be mere entertainment, and an effective way of keeping children occupied for half-hour blocks of time. Today, as emphasis on educational and intellectual content grows heavier, there is more programming with a focus on helping little ones to learn new and valuable life lessons.
3. Adult-Targeted Shows – Cartoons are no longer targeted exclusively at the youngest members of a household. These days, animated shows for adults abound, with cartoon-exclusive networks switching over to grown-up content in the evening. Before assuming that a show is safe for kids strictly on the basis of its animated nature, be sure that it's not a lowbrow show adults.
4. Age-Appropriateness – Once you've determined that the shows your kids are watching are actually aimed at young audiences rather than adults, it's important to make sure that it's appropriate for their age level. Programming that thrills a toddler may not interest an elementary aged child, and content for older kids may be too advanced for little ones.
5. Inclusion of Role Models – While every story needs an antagonist, it's important that there be at least a few quality role models for your kids reflected by the characters in the shows they watch. If all of the characters are mean or naughty, it's worth considering whether or not that's a message you want to send to your kids.
6. Overall Messages – Themes in even kids' programming can include things like bullying, violence, disobedience and an overall disregard for the authority or intelligence of adults. Knowing what the message behind your kids' favorite shows actually are is an important part of screening content for appropriateness.
7. Overt Consumerism – There is enough overt consumerism in the commercial breaks of television programming; the last thing you want to do is encourage even more materialism by letting kids watch shows that encourage such ideals. Product placement and tie-ins are big business for cartoonists and the companies that own those images, a fact that marketing teams are well aware of and eager to exploit.
8. Dialogue Content – If the bulk of the dialogue in your kids' favorite shows is antagonistic, bullying, demeaning or rude, it's worth thinking about the message those exchanges are sending to your children. Kids will mimic the things they see on television, up to an including the way that their favorite characters speak to one another.
9. Kids' Individual Tastes – Despite your best intentions and efforts to encourage viewership of some shows, your kids will still have their own individual preferences. A little one with a fancy for fairy tales may not be so eager to watch more realistic depictions of everyday life, while little adventurers may have little patience for slow-paced shows.
10. The Irritation Factor – When you've finally composed a list of acceptable shows for your kids to watch, you'll be forced to hear the theme songs over and over again. Make sure that you're able to tolerate them before setting the kids loose, because it will be quite some time before you hear the last of their jingles, theme songs and trademark phrases.

Ultimately, the type of programming that your kids are exposed to can only be limited when they're in your home. Visiting friends, attending daycare and spending time with extended family can all be sources of questionable exposure, so it's important that you take an approach that includes learning to have productive conversations with your children when they inevitably encounter something you'd rather they didn't. Let friends and family members know about the boundaries that you've established in your own home, but realize that your control essentially ends when you leave your children under the care of anyone other than yourself or a private childcare provider who's well aware of your guidelines.

Resources:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705392847/Kid-Media-Monitor-What-pare...
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/spongebob-squarepants