Cartoons, Parasocial Relationships, and Social Development in Children

Abstract

Pre-existing research on children's parasocial interactions with cartoon characters has already explored the relationship between the screen and the mind, but it has not properly explored the extent of this topic. The pandemic has opened a new view of research for many interested in exploring how likely media characters are able to influence the development of social ability within children. The present study’s aim is to identify the extent to which parasocial relationships formed with cartoon characters impact the social development of children aged 3 to 5. This paper uses a combination of surveys and interviews to accurately detail the impact of parasocial interactions on children’s behavior. Participants of this research consisted of 64 parents of varying ages who answered the questionnaire on the behalf of their young children (3-12). An additional participant was a child specialist interviewee. Results of this paper signify that younger children are more prone to forming relationships with cartoon characters, consequently adopting their behaviors more firmly. The results were partitioned into two categories, positive social development, and negative social development. It was thus concluded from this paper that parasocial relationships can facilitate both positive and negative social development with its intensity depending on how often a child interacts with their favorite character. Findings of this paper can be further used to broaden research on personality development as well as urge the education system to adopt positive cartoons to facilitate positive social development.