Why you should limit cartoon watching for your child!

Every now and then I hear about people proudly ,happily describing how their child loves this and that cartoon character, how angry do children get if not shown cartoons when they want to, and the number of hours they allocate everyday for cartoon watching.
One of the possible reasons could be that this way the couple gets to spend some time to talk/discuss or do household chores, while the child gets hooked on for an hour or two to the TV—a habit not very positive!
There are both pros and cons to every aspect of human interaction and cartoons are no different. Here’s some perspective I have on cartoon watching:
1)  Educational videos need not be only cartoons: Showing nursery rhyme to a child, showing different animal/birds/objects/shapes/vehicles/alphabets etc for educational purposes is good ,no doubt. It helps in learning via audio-visual method. But the focus should be on videos that feature people too in it and not only animation. It has been proven time and again that children learn better when they see humans rhyme rather than plain computerised animations. Furthermore the revision of same at home via parental recital, or parental game play, Q&A, and via books can further help in reinforcing the same with better retention.
2)  The negative of cartoons: Unfortunately things get complicated when cartoons for older children come into picture. Seeing their favourite characters fight, bully, drive cars, jump in pools, eat out with friends, play around etc may look harmless to parents but it has a long lasting impact on psyche of child. This is why children get hooked on to cartoons and get practically addicted to it. They do throw tantrums if not obliged with. If a child watches his character eat junk food , he/she will surely ask for it (sooner or later).Imagine if a 4-5 year old sees a character bullying his friends in school (kicking them around), he surely would have that imprinted on his mind and thus likely to do it himself too(not necessarily but a definite possibility).
3)  Health hazards: The issue of eyesight problem also happens if a child stands too close to TV /smartphone watching his favourite cartoons for a long period of time on a  daily basis.
4)  Without TV, child’s personality develops better: Studies have shown if same amount of time that a child spends on watching animated cartoons is spent on doing playful activity at home or outdoors , it can help considerably in child's behavioural and personality development.

A young mind has infinite potential to learn , to absorb new things and thus as parents ,one must make a conscious effort to refrain from making their children cartoon dependent. Rather play with your child and help him learn new things day after day. Invest your time in your child and you'll see the difference instantly.
Happy parenting!