Disney movies- yes or no?

Barbara

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 4:47 pm

MaBelleVie wrote:

It should be noted that many studies demonstrating negative effects associated with screen time are looking at kids who watch what is considered a reasonable amount a day, such as 2 hours.

I was once talking to a parent of a 2 year old with global developmental delays. She very matter of factly told me that he watches around 7 hours of television a day. I was so sad for that poor little boy Sad

Citations? I've seen talk of negative effects of any TV for kids under 2, and for over 3 hours a day for older kids.

FTR, a lot of the issues relate to being sedentary. I don't think that the studies would be any happier with the kid who spends his time cartooning.

debsey

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 4:48 pm

Barbara wrote:

This reminds me of those headlines that declare Chinese Food: Heart Attack in a Box! When you read the study, it talks about how if you eat 5 servings of General Tsao Chicken a day for 4 years, you'll affect your cardiac health, but its spun as if the problem were in eating chicken with broccoli once a month.

Some poor poster wants to know what people think of an occasional Disney movie, and she's suddenly being painted as a neglectful mother who props her kids up in front of the TV 14 hours a day. While other posters are straining their muscles to pat themselves on the back for only allowing their kids to watch bad videos, so they won't like it so much, or no videos at all.

M O D E R A T I O N.

And I don't mean from our moderators. I mean in all things. An occasional video isn't turning anyone's brains to mush.

And not every parenting decision that varies from our own is a bad one. Reasonable minds can differ.

you are 100% right. I was just explaining my thinking process about this. No one is attacking OP. But the conversation went from - occasional movie a day - to are Disney mores acceptable - to one poster saying she believes videos to be harmful - to another poster saying there is NO research that shows electronic entertainment to EVER be harmful - to me and MaBelleVie saying there IS research - to me trying to contextualize my reading of the research with what I actually ended up doing and how it has been working.
My take - very much influenced by this essay I read of Sarah Shapiro's - is that the less we rely on electronics to entertain/educate, the better. It has worked for me, and it has been a struggle for me. If I came across as dogmatic and black-and-white in my thinking, I'm sorry. But I am very glad of how this decision has worked out for me - even if I'm out of step with some of my neighbors - and I'd like to share this aspect of my perspective.
Does that clarify?
debsey

debsey

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 4:52 pm

Barbara wrote:

The Tohuku study was specifically of first grade and above aged-kids, and specifically talked about frontal lobe functioning. NOT a study of being sedentary, though that has its own health risks. The idea is that the brain is being turned into a passive recipient of information, not an active learner.
Cartooning (or any other cognitively demanding tasks - from reading (you have to use your imagination to picture the story) to something like playing Battleship don't run the same risks in terms of passive cognition.
Sure, cartooning isn't going to help you become more active (NOT that this particular one of my kids needs help with that), but it IS going to train your attention span, visual perception, social cognition, and keep your brain active.
My issue with TV watching is the passive recipient of information aspect, from a cognitive/neurodevelopmental perspective.
debsey

marina

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:04 pm

debsey wrote:

Are you refering to me? If so, please read what I wrote. I was asking (and am still asking) for research showing people who watch Disney movies end up being maladjusted adults.

I did not say excess TV watching has no effect. I said there's nothing showing that regular TV watching turns our chidren's brain to mush.

marina

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:11 pm

Quote:

The Tohuku study was specifically of first grade and above aged-kids, and specifically talked about frontal lobe functioning

Who cares? There are gazillions of studies showing how eating fatty and sugary foods affect the brain negatively. Do you still give your kids dessert once in a while? Or will it always turn their brains to mush?

I really wouldn't have responded if that poster, instead of talking about disintegrating organs, would just have said how she thinks there may be some negative effects.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12088740

http://www.uclahealth.org/body.....=1897

Barbara

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:14 pm

debsey wrote:

A single study of fewer than 300 kids, ages 5 to 18, where the authors cautioned the findings are not definitive proof that TV damages the brain.

debsey

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:15 pm

marina wrote:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8471072/

http://www.otago.ac.nz/news/ne......html

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/......html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/scie.....as...

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/g.....x.htm

http://www.redorbit.com/news/d.....17346

http://www.sciencedaily.com/re.....6.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tech.....vices

The numbers are ambiguous. Depends on whether you are in an upper, middle, or lower-class home. Depends on how you define academic "success." And it especially depends on whether you are reading a study sponsored by an educational TV programming company. So I'd question any study that was specifically on "Disney" movies. Why would anyone but Disney study them?

Research on highly productive people does note that they limit their time in extended mass-media outlets.
There certainly have been no studies on extended TV watching and ability to follow a Gemarah shiur. But the studies that show a linkage between extended TV watching and lower verbal IQ or lower logical abilities definitely would worry me, if I wanted my son to succeed in his primary educational environment. The active/passive learning split, which the Japan study showed, seems worrisome enough to me.
debsey

MaBelleVie

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:16 pm

marina wrote:

And I also don't understand why we can't teach our kids moderation, like Barbara said. It seems we can in other areas, right? It's not like we worry that our children will become alcoholics if they sip some wine at kiddush, right?

Some people do. They think it's basically the most irresponsible thing in the world to give a nineteen year old a beer. I don't get it, but whatever.

marina

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:18 pm

debsey wrote:

Ok, tell me what you think about my sugar and fat studies. Also tell me if your kids eat dessert, and if so, why? I mean, those studies are in no way ambiguous. There's a link between sugar, fat and weaknesses in memory and learning.

Last edited by marina on Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:22 pm; edited 1 time in total

marina

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:20 pm

Quote:

So I'd question any study that was specifically on "Disney" movies. Why would anyone but Disney study them?

People in this thread were specifically discussing the effects of Disney movies. I'm just asking if there's any data to back it up. Yes, there are some love stories etc. Is there research saying more kids who watch cartoon romances get divorced, for example?

debsey

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:24 pm

marina wrote:

Quote:

The Tohuku study was specifically of first grade and above aged-kids, and specifically talked about frontal lobe functioning

It's not about disintegrating organs (which wasn't me, btw) it's about how much of a risk we want to take with developing brains.
For me - moderation is - Jewish videos only, only in the summer. For others, it might be only G rated movies, or only before bedtime.
Like MaBelleVie said, no one is saying to cover your kid's eyes in Cosco. Or, like an acquaintance of mine did - switch dentists to one that doesn't have videos in the waiting room. To me, that's an extreme.
Similarly, the study about high-fat, high-sugar diet is about ONLY high-fat, high-sugar - all the time. Hopefully, no one feeds their kids that way.
My point is we have to be mindful about our choices, because there might be some unforeseen consequences. Now that we know that brains are more neuroplastic than we thought, videos may be even more harmful than we knew of. That's why major software developers are working on creating a new generation of movies/tv etc. where the action is much more participatory. To address this issue.

debsey

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:26 pm

marina wrote:

Quote:

So I'd question any study that was specifically on "Disney" movies. Why would anyone but Disney study them?

The issue was that they are addictive to watch, so well done that it's hard to stop. You are confusing the values/mores conversation with the neurological aspects of too much video-watching conversation, both of which were on this thread.
For me, they are two separate issues.

debsey

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:33 pm

marina wrote:

#1 - in mice.
#2 - being force fed
#3 - a diet of NOTHING but sugar and fat

You do know that mice have a super-fast metabolism, right? That's why they are used in these studies.

Based on similar nutritional studies of humans (that white sugar can impede learning due to depriving frontal lobes of steady supply of glucose) I, like many mothers, serve only whole grains or proteins for breakfast. Which happens to be a MASSIVE pain in the neck for someone who hates to cook, like me. Sugar cereal, or highly sugary foods, are treats, and only for times I don't need them highly alert, like occasionally for dessert after supper.
Similarly - video use - only for times I don't need their brains at peak condition - like in the summer.

debsey

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:49 pm

marina wrote:

we don't disagree that much.

But I don't think Disney movies or any movies are addictive, that word has a specific medical meaning to me

And I do separate btw the neurological and value effects. I think the neurological effects is where moderation comes in, but the value effects- I just don't know of any studies exploring those.

I do believe Disney movies are addictive. Not in the chemical sense, but in the sense that they are so enjoyable they are hard to stop watching. I'm using the word in the colloquial sense, not in the medical/legal sense.
The value effects would be hard to study, no? Values being so intrinsic to the eye of the beholder. There are plenty of pop-culture feminist explorations of Disney movie themes, or Christian, or aetheist, or name your cause celebre.
So I have to go with an "N" of one - me - and my kids - for me, the values are not mine, in 90% of the movies. and for the other 10%, I'm not willing to risk opening a door that will be hard to close.
My (perhaps unstated) point is that not all Charedi mothers who just say no! to videos are doing so in a knee-jerk, reflexive fashion. For many of us, a lot of thought goes in to those choices.
debsey

dancingqueen

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:55 pm

debsey wrote:

I hear what you're saying, dancingqueen, but not having relations until marriage is a PRETTY low standard for Orthodox Jewish tznius, no? I want my daughters to espouse modesty as a way of life that has NOTHING to do with having relations before marriage. That's kind of like the lowest common denominator.
If her point is that you can have pretty steamy scenes in a movie WITHOUT there being actual relations, great. She made her point. I'm hoping for much more from myself and my kids, however.
Unless her Mormon values don't quite hold up to a fat paycheck from Hollywood. In which case, fine for her, but I want my Orthodox Jewish ones to remain intact, no matter what the temptation.
debsey

Hey I'm not pushing you to screen twilight I actually find it pretty silly, I was just pointing out that it's one of the more clean teen movies IMO.

debsey

Mon, Jul 21 2014, 5:58 pm

dancingqueen wrote:

Hey I'm not pushing you to screen twilight I actually find it pretty silly, I was just pointing out that it's one of the more clean teen movies IMO.

Sure... I hear you. But it's certainly advertised in a very suggestive way. I read the books, didn't see the movie so I'm not commenting from full knowledge. I just would hope that if someone set out to make a teen movie showcasing their Orthodox Jewish value system, the teenage boys would be wearing shirts, for one thing.
debsey