'My four kids only watched 90s cartoons for a week – I couldn't believe huge impact'

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Screen time is a huge factor in parenting with many mums and dads doing everything they can to avoid their little ones from being glued to their technology devices
As a parent, it can be difficult to limit your child from using their phone or tablet. The NHS recently listed the amount of screen time kids should have based on their age, but we all know it's always easier said than done, right?
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Nowadays many parents could be judged for allowing their little ones to use their technology devices out in public, or even letting them sit in front of the telly for countless hours. Now one mum revealed how tuning into 90s cartoons for an entire week had a huge impact on her four children in many ways.
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Mum-of-four Ariel Shearer boasts 88,100 followers on Instagram where she shares her parenting content. She's also the founder of Mom Taught Me, a trusted source for expert advice, practical life hacks and more.
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In her latest post, she told fans how she completed a week where her kids only watched 90s TV shows – and the results? Well, they were promising according to Ariel. She said: "After a week of the kids watching only 90s TV shows, here's what I noticed...
"I have 4 under six and here's what I've noticed in each of them. They're less overstimulated, no fast cuts or loud sound effects grabbing their attention every second.
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"They actually wander off to play rather than just sitting glued to the screen. There's less begging for 'one more episode' – it feels like the shows aren't designed to be addictive.
"They engage more with each other while these shows are on. No more meltdowns when screen time ends." Ariel then listed the shows she let her children watch, including Little Bear and the Bear in the Big Blue House.
She also tuned into Arthur, Rugrats, Franklin, The Magic School Bus, Blues Clues, Dora the Explorer, PB&J Otter and Rolie Polie Olie. Ariel's theory is also backed up in a study published by the National Institutes of Health.
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This found the immediate impact of different types of TV on young children. It also claimed just 9 minutes of viewing a fast-paced television cartoon had huge negative effects on four-year-olds' executive function.
Since her Instagram video was shared, it racked up thousands of likes and comments. One said: "Both my kids grew up on many of these except Rugrats. We didn't like how bratty the kids acted.
"There was a show made shortly after Bear in the Big Blue House called It's a Big Big World and pretty sure it's the same set and costume just turned the Bear into a sloth! My son loved it!"