In 2022, more than 10,000 hours of youth animation programs were broadcast on national television channels. Not to mention Netflix, Disney +, dedicated YouTube channels or even, for the past few months, Fast TVs visible only on the internet. But not all of these programs are suitable for toddlers. So how to navigate through the maquis of animated images? What roles can parents have to help their child understand this new world? 20 minutes try to give you some pointers.
The first advice is of course to wait until he is 3 years old to install it in front of the TV. Imagined in 2008 by the psychiatrist Serge Tisseron, the 3-6-9-12 years benchmarks for exposure to different screens (TV, video games, computer) remain in force. And from 3 to 6 years old, “no more than 30 to 40 minutes a day”, advises the Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA), “in order to avoid sleep disorders, sight or concentration”.
Program adapted to the age group
“Before the age of 3, it is preferable to play with your child and read him stories to promote his development,” recommends Serge Tisseron. But then ? “The first thing to do is to check that the program is adapted to the age group”, explains the author, in particular, ofTaming screens and growing (Editions Eres).
Some replay platforms like Okoo (France Télévisions) indicate the minimum ages. Others don’t. At TF1, a platform project with sorting by age is in preparation. “Some channels broadcast 4-10 year olds, but that’s too broad a category. The complexity of the message is perceived differently at 4 years old or at 10 years old”, estimates Pierre Le Pivain, educational director at Rubika, an audiovisual training school in Valenciennes, in the North.
“For the little ones, this kind of cartoon is like moving wallpaper”, ironically still François Sikic, pedagogical coordinator at the International School of Manga and Animation (Eima) in Toulouse. But this category of 4-10 is the rule in the United States or in Japan. And since production is much higher in these two countries…
“A life lesson lived from a distance”
So, it is better to watch with your child to check. But check what? “For example, the character does not suddenly come from the front because it is scary and it cuts concentration in small children”, explains the psychologist Geneviève Djénati, author, twenty years ago, of Psychanalysis of cartoons (Editions l’Archipel).
6 to 7 minute stories, soft background music, not too many characters and no successive actions. A child in kindergarten does not understand what a flashback is, for example. “The story must end well and solve the initial problem, even if the tone may seem “ass ass the praline” for the parents, adds Geneviève Djenati. A cartoon should be a life lesson experienced remotely for children. »
Once that’s been said, it remains to find the rare pearls because the profusion of offers, quite unequal moreover, today obliges parents to select, to act as cultural referents. The filmspourenfants.net site allows you to make a first selection. For the age of 3, for example, a hundred references are listed there.
“Get at the level of the child’s imagination”
For Pierre Le Pivain, also an illustrator, the problem is to “find simple stories, but not simplistic”. “Simplicity means putting yourself at the level of the child’s imagination to meet their needs and desires, without simplifying their way of thinking”, he explains to 20 minutes.
His Toulouse counterpart, François Sikic, goes even further by criticizing very popular series like Peppa Pig Or The Trotro donkey. “The narration is very poor and the depth of the characters zero, he denounces. While some psychological issues may be accessible to 3-6 year olds. But, alas, this age group is of little interest to scriptwriting professionals”. So as long as it works…
Especially since, sometimes, the story doesn’t matter. The great success of an animated series like Molang lies in “its ability to illustrate children’s daily routines using the benevolent graphic form of Kawaii”, testifies Pierre Le Pivain. But, according to him, “fortunately there is no miracle recipe for making good animation”.
“Animated series should not be used as a babysitter”
“You have to take the time to look with him to see what he likes and look for what exists in the same register to try to go further,” he suggests. François Sikic offers another piece of advice to stimulate natural curiosity in children: “On Netflix, for example, there are very beautiful short films made with chalk or gouache that you shouldn’t hesitate to watch with your family. “.
Everyone agrees on a principle, summarized by Geneviève Djénati: “Animated series should not be used as baby sitters”. This family viewing also avoids the trap of certain videos on YouTube, interrupted by influencers or worse. “You can come across a pirated video where in the middle there are totally unsuitable images”, warns Serge Tisseron.
The violence in question
Finally, there is the question of violence. A study published in November 2022, carried out by the University of Montreal, in Quebec and conducted for ten years on 2,000 children, tends to show that the exposure of girls and boys of preschool age (in kindergarten) to cartoons violence on screen is associated with the risk of psychological and academic difficulties in adolescence.
The study authors observed lower rates of academic achievement, anxiety and behavioral problems. They advance a hypothesis: children, who, before the age of 6, do not distinguish reality from fiction; learn to view the world as hostile, so they become defensive.
It is therefore better to watch the first images. Because sharing a cartoon with your kid is also going back to childhood. And what parent has never wanted to show a series that rocked their own youth?