Mothers’ Perceptions of Cartoon Viewing and Young Children’s Behavior in Karachi

Abstract

Animated media are a routine part of many young children’s lives, yet their developmental significance depends on content, viewing duration, social context, and opportunities for adult guidance. This exploratory study examines mothers’ perceptions of cartoon viewing among pre-primary children in Karachi, with attention to character imitation, violent themes, language, physical activity, and daily viewing routines. The source manuscript describes a quantitative, cross-sectional survey using a self-developed five-point Likert questionnaire administered through private schools in Karachi’s Central District. Although the methodology reports a planned or recruited sample of 100 mothers, every supplied results table reports 50 responses. Accordingly, this rewritten paper treats 50 as the analyzable sample and explicitly flags the discrepancy for verification rather than silently reconciling it.

Descriptive analysis shows unanimous agreement across all ten displayed statements: each respondent selected either “agree” or “strongly agree.” Strong agreement was highest for children liking cartoons and liking cartoons containing physical violence (62% each), followed by inspiration from cartoon characters (58%). Equal proportions strongly agreed and agreed that children preferred cartoons to physical activity (50% each). For the remaining behavior and routine items, strong agreement ranged from 44% to 48%. These results indicate a highly uniform pattern of maternal concern, but they do not establish that cartoons caused the reported behaviors. The findings are best interpreted as perceptions within a small, geographically bounded sample. Future research should verify the raw data, document sampling and instrument quality, include neutral and disagreement categories in the analysis, and combine caregiver reports with direct observation or longitudinal measures.