Influence of Frequent Cartoon Consumption on Children's Interactive Communication Skills and Behavioural Outcomes
Abstract
The study examined the influence of frequent cartoon consumption on children’s interactive communication skills and behavioural outcomes. Anchored in Social Learning Theory and Media Effects Theory, the study adopts a mixed-method approach involving a sample of 480 parents and guardians of pupils aged 4-8 from varied backgrounds and 24 teachers for the interview section. The findings revealed that frequent cartoon consumption may have negative effects on the development of active listening skills on children ( = 2.24, SD = 0.65) and a moderate negative relationship (r = -0.43) between frequent cartoon consumption and the development of turn-taking skills in interactive communication. The study concludes that while cartoons can serve as entertainment, their overuse may impair the development of skills that children need to interact effectively in live interactions.
Downloads
References
Abraham, G. S., Basheer, B. M., Sudhakaran, S., & Babu, R. (2021). A study to assess the impact of cartoon on developmental domains of communication in children aged 4 to 6 years. International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 11(3), 205–222.
Akintaro, M. G., Joy, J. I., & Success, O. (2026). Social Media Misinformation and the Transformation of Journalism in Lagos State. SIASAT, 11(4), 259-271.
Akintayo, A. O., Adewale, O. C., Tsenongo, M., & Akintaro, M. G. (2026). Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Performance of Broadcasting Companies in Nigeria. Britain International of Humanities and Social Sciences (BIoHS) Journal, 8(1), 1-9.
Akintayo, A. O., Ezeoye, C. S., Akintaro, M. G., & Adewale, O. C. (2026). The Use of Sign Language in News Presentations for Hearing Impaired Viewers to Promote Sustainable and Inclusive Media. SIASAT, 11(1), 51-63.
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2016). Media and young minds. Pediatrics, 138(5), e20162591. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-2591
Anderson, C. A., & Dill, K. E. (2000). Video games and aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the laboratory and in life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(4), 772–790. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78.4.772
Anderson, D. R., & Pempek, T. A. (2005). Television and very young children. American Behavioral Scientist, 48(5), 505–522. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764204271506
Aondover, E. M., & Obasi, M. (2025). Identity and the Narratives of Conflict in Nigerian Media. In Media, Conflicts and the National Security Question: Communicating (In) security in Nigeria, West Africa and the Sahel (pp. 315-334). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Aondover, P. O., & Aondover, E. M. (2023). Nollywood Offering and Nigeria People and Culture: Reflections and Projection. Unisia, 41(1), 117-142.
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice-Hall.
Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory of mass communication. Media Psychology, 3(3), 265–299. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532785XMEP0303_03
Bois, K., & Bushman, B. J. (n.d). Television and children. University of Michigan Health.
Boseley, S. (2012, October 9). Ban under-threes from watching television, says study. The Guardian.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Christakis, D. A., Zimmerman, F. J., DiGiuseppe, D. L., & McCarty, C. A. (2004). Early television exposure and subsequent attentional problems in children. Pediatrics, 113(4), 708–713. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.113.4.708
Gerbner, G., Gross, L., Morgan, M., Signorielli, N., & Shanahan, J. (2002). Growing up with television: Cultivation processes. In J. Bryant & D. Zillmann (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (2nd ed., pp. 43–67). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Ikefuna, A. N., Uwaezuoke, N. A., Eze, J. N., Eke, A. L., & Eke, C. B. (2022). Association of screen time with behavioral and academic performance among children in Southeast Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Paediatrics, 49(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.4314/njp.v49i1.1
Linebarger, D. L., & Piotrowski, J. T. (2010). TV as storyteller: How exposure to television narratives impacts preschoolers’ story knowledge and narrative skills. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 28(2), 289–302. https://doi.org/10.1348/026151009X416927
Linebarger, D. L., & Walker, D. (2005). Infants’ and toddlers’ television viewing and language outcomes. American Behavioral Scientist, 48(5), 624–645. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764204271505
Madigan, S., Browne, D., Racine, N., Mori, C., & Tough, S. (2019). Association between screen time and children’s performance on a developmental screening test. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(3), 244–250.
Mangesh, B., & Prachi, J. (2020). Cartoon films and its impact on children‟s mentality. Research Review Journal, 6(6), 13-18.
Msughter, A. E. (2021). Full Length Research. American Journal of Multidisciplinary Research in Africa, 1(3), 1-9.
Msughter, A. E. (2022). Chapter Thirteen Comparative Study of Hate Speech in The 2015 And 2019 General Elections In Select Newspapers In Nigeria. THOUGHTS ON, 146.
Msughter, A. E. (2023). Nigerian press coverage of hate speeches in the Daily Trust. The Psychology of Trust, 169.
Msughter, A. E. (2025). Comparative study of hate speech in the 2015 and 2019 general elections in three selected newspapers in Nigeria. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 60(5), 2907-2921.
Msughter, A. E., & Iman, M. L. (2020). Internet meme as a campaign tool to the fight against Covid-19 in Nigeria. Global Journal of Human-Social Science: A Arts & Humanities–Psychology, 20(6), 27-39.
Msughter, A. E., & Yaú, H. A. (2018). Fundamentals of Mass media and communication research. Ahmadu Bello University Press.
Msughter, A. E., Kuchi, M. G., & Abba, A. A. (2023). Critical Discourse Analysis of Traditional Medicine Outdoor Advertising and Public Health Issues in Northern Nigeria. Indigenous Language for Social Change Communication in the Global South, 39.
Nielson, M., Haun, D., Kartner, J., & Legare, C. H. (2022). The persistent sampling bias in developmental psychology: A call to action. Child Development Perspectives, 16(2), 119–125. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12463
Oyero, O., & Oyesomi, K. O. (2014). Perceived influence of television cartoons on Nigerian children’s social behaviour. Estudos em Comunicação, 15, 161–183.
Sigman, A. (2012). Time for a view on screen time. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 97(11), 935– 942. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2012-302196
Skariah, F., & Dhanya, V. J. (2022). Effect of Cartoon Viewing Habits On Developmental Skills And Attention Span Of Preschool Children. International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 9(6):571-578.
Success, O., & Maiwada, A. A. (2026). Digital Journalism and Revenue Sustainability of Print Media Organisations in Nigeria. Britain International of Humanities and Social Sciences (BIoHS) Journal, 8(3), 235-251.
Success, O., Akintaro, M. G., & Babale, A. M. (2026). Online Product Reviews and Traditional Advertisements on Purchase Decisions of Consumers in Nigeria. Economit Journal: Scientific Journal of Accountancy, Management and Finance, 6(4), 370-379.
Success, O., Akintaro, M. G., & Babale, A. M. (2026). Social Media as a Tool for Advertising Campaigns in Nigeria. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 9(4).
Success, O., Odoyi, C. D., & Maiwada, A. A. (2026). Media Framing of Socio-Political Discourse in Nigeria. Polit Journal Scientific Journal of Politics, 6(3), 224-232.
The Washington Times. (2004, April 18). How TV can “rewire” brains of tiny tots. The Washington Times.
Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2011). Online communication and adolescent well-being: Testing the stimulation versus the displacement hypothesis. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 16(2), 200–209.
Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2013). The differential susceptibility to media effects model. Journal of Communication, 63(2), 221–243.
Wellington, N., Chioma N., Maduka, N., Mbaka, C., Akintaro M., G., & Owoeye, T. J. (2025). The Role of Parental Mediation in Mitigating Violent Television Programmes for Children in Ogba Community of Lagos State. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI), vol. 12(2), 1058-1069.
Wellington, N., Maduka, N., Akintaro, M.G., Owoeye, T., J., & Babatunde, O. (2025). The role of Parenting Styles in Mediating Children’s Exposure to Television Content in the Digital Age. Journal of Humanities, Management and Social Sciences, 4(1), 61-89
Wellington, N., Onyike, I. E., Njoku, C., Akintaro, M. G., Maduka, N., & Owoeye, T. J. (2026). Economic and Employment Benefits of Using AI for Enhancing Media Production Skills in African Classrooms. In Artificial Intelligence in African Media and Communication (pp. 263-279). Routledge.
Copyright (c) 2026 Konfrontasi: Jurnal Kultural, Ekonomi dan Perubahan Sosial

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.Penulis.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (Refer to The Effect of Open Access).
_.gif)








_.gif)


