Age-appropriate TV

[laescoobyfan]

Results from a new study say age appropriate TV can help kids sleep. An article was written by someone from USA TODAY about the study. Link: greenbayhub.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20120806/GPG04/308060179/0/PKR01/Age-appropriate-TV-movies-can-help-kids-sleep?odyssey=nav|head%20%20title=GPG


I agree with it for the most part, but part of it said this:

"Shows such as 'Dora the Explorer' and other age-appropriate programming for 3- to 5-year olds may help those kids sleep better at night a recent study concludes. Even watching shows such as 'Scooby-Doo' or 'SpongeBob SquarePants' that are geared more for 8- to 9-year olds can have a negative affect on younger kids sleep behavior the study reports. / Courtesy of Nick Jr."


And this:

"For preschoolers, inappropriate content has less to do with violent or R-rated movies and more to do with cartoons “aimed at slightly older children,” such as “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Scooby-Doo,” says Garrison. “These are fun shows I would totally sit down and watch with an 8- or 9-year-old, but for a 3- or 4-year-old, it’s too much and too overwhelming.”"


Do you think Scooby-Doo is age-appropriate for a 4 year old?

[laescoobyfan]

I think most Scooby-Doo shows are fine for a 3 or 4 year old to watch. I can see not letting a 3 or 4 year old watch SDMI, but I think shows like Where Are You, and The Scooby Doo Show would be okay. I also think it depends on the child, and what experiences they have been through already.

The article seems to advise waiting until your child is 8 or 9 to watch Scooby by saying it is “geared more for 8- to 9-year olds” and “I would totally sit down and watch with an 8- or 9-year-old…”. I definitely wouldn’t wait until my child is 8 or 9 to let them watch Scooby-Doo!

[Doo]

Yeah, it's fine to watch Scooby.

Unless they are watching SDMI, I'd probably wait for my child until 6 or 7.

[j3h]

I wonder what age group they would say is acceptable for A Pup Named Scooby Doo?

[russm]

Shows such as Tom and Jerry are incredibly violent, far worse than Scooby Doo or SpongeBob. But what happens is slapstick, real physics hurts cartoon physics doesn't.

As a parent I would not worry about them watching Scooby Doo when they were smaller (one is now 14 the other 8). I would think twice about them watching SD:MI due to the intensity of the show, there isn't much of a break and the storyline would be too complicated for them to grasp. Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner - no problem.

[ThatRainbowGirl]

Well, I'm not sure how old I was when I started this. Probably around the age of a preschooler. But every week when I was little, we'd go over to my Grandma's house and I'd watch Scooby Doo on her TV (since we don't have cable at home). It was usually just the classic series, and that was just fine for me- not only was I not really scared by it, it was my absolute favorite show to watch there. So for me, at least, that was fine.

SD:MI, on the other hand... I can't really say from an adult's perspective since I'm still a young teen, but I don't think I'd show a preschooler it. The whole underlying darker plot, as well as some other aspects of that show would probably go over a very young kid's head. If I was that age still, I think something like WNSD? would be more enjoyable than SD:MI anyways.

[ahkyahnan]

I get the impression from the article that they're not talking about violence or plot/content themes, but more the pace of the show and the amount of content or 'sensory information' to have to process. Shows like Dora move along pretty slowly, repeat key things over and over so kids can remember them, include pauses for preschoolers to have time to think, and that sort of thing. Scooby moves along pretty quickly and assumes the child is old enough to understand most of the language and keep up with the plot and remember key elements at the end of the show when the 'unmasking' sequence occurs. I think he's suggesting 3-5 year olds may not have developed their cognitive skills enough yet to not feel a little confused and overwhelmed after 1/2 hour of watching. Kind of like putting a 2nd grader in a trigonometry class. Inappropriate in that it might be too much for their mind to handle at that age, and therefore be a little unsettling at bedtime.

Now whether that's true or not, I don't know. I know some pretty quick preschoolers. But I think that's the kind of thing he meant.

Mark

[Doo]

True, they can use some confusing language/ plots (to a preschooler of course).

[laescoobyfan]

I think you're right Mark, that the study was focusing more on the pace of the show. Comparing SpongeBob to SD Where Are You, I think it would be easier for preschool age kids to watch SD Where Are You, because of both the material and the slower pace of the show (SD Where Are You).

And I still think it would be okay for a preschooler to watch Where Are You, even if they can't remember key elements or suspects when it's time for the unmasking at the end. A Pup Named SD was good when it came to reviewing the clues and suspects at the end.

[ScoobyAddict]

You may not agree with me, but I let my kids watch SDMI, and my youngest will be 6 next week. He's been watching Scooby his whole life, so when SDMI started, he was really excited about it the new show so I couldn't tell him he couldn't watch it. He seems to understand the show and can follow along with it from episode to episode. I didn't notice any sleep issues when he watched the show.

I do have to say that I am sick of researchers blaming cartoons for issues that kids have. Scooby doesn't cause obesity, the parents over feeding their kids and giving them nothing but junk food causes obesity. Scooby doesn't cause a lack of sleep, unless the kid is frightened easily, and then again I would think the parents would make sure their kids weren't watching anything that would be scary. I think researchers need to figure out a way to get parents to be more active in their kids lives so they make their kids do more than sit and play video games or watch TV.