An analysis of the impact of cartoon violence on young Maltese children

Abstract

This study investigates the possible impact of cartoon violence on Maltese children aged five and six, attending government and private schools. Interviews were conducted with 100 children, both boys and girls, in grades one and two. Results indicate that nearly half of the children interviewed have a strong preference to watching the cartoon Tom and Jerry because of its comic nature. A content analysis was carried out on this particular cartoon showing that Tom and Jerry has a high rate of violence. However, in this cartoon the consequences of violence are highly trivialised. Nevertheless, children recognise the violence in these cartoons and are therefore less likely to become desensitised. A minority of children prefer watching action-oriented cartoons like Pokemon and Digimon. Most of these children attend De La Salle College. A difference was found between boys and girls, in that boys are more likely than girls to have a strong preference to watching their favourite cartoon for violent purposes, to identify themselves with violent cartoon characters and to remember violent episodes from their favourite cartoons. No such difference was found between children in grades one and two.