Due to their universal symbols such as sound effects, music, moving pictures, emotional elements, appeal of cartoon characters, playfulness, entertaining moments, etc. cartoons are very popular among children. If we fuse all of the above with widespread advanced technology, which enables unrestricted access, and often too busy parents, we can observe the immense impact these cartoons have on children. Cartoons are not solely harmful or useful, but can be a mixture of both. Based on their content and design, cartoons vary greatly. There are a great number of cartoons that favourably affect children if accompanied by a constructive discussion. Through the content and design of these cartoons children can learn, identify, confirm their experiences, learn new languages, enrich their vocabulary, encourage creativity, develop solidarity, learn to critically evaluate, etc. On the other hand, children can hold misconceptions about the world, become passive, imitate unfavourable characters and scenes, suffer from lack of exercise, become irritable, addicted, etc. The theoretical part focuses on presenting the habits of watching cartoons, the direct and indirect influences of watching cartoons on the development of children, the importance of discussing cartoons with adults, and the usage of cartoons in school lessons. The empirical part is focused on identifying the cartoon watching habits of children involved in the survey, determining the attitudes of parents towards cartoons watched by their children, discovering to what extent quick actions and rapid scene changes influence the child’s attention span, self-regulation, planning, memory, and motoric functions a few second after they have finished watching a cartoon, and determining whether there is a link between the average number of cartoon watching hours per week and the effectiveness of executive functions, i.e., the long-term effects of cartoon watching on executive functions. An experimental survey was conducted that involved 28 2nd grade primary school children from Ljubljana and their parents. For the purpose of collecting data, a questionnaire was used that included questions aimed at parent about the cartoon watching habits of their children. The statistics about the effects of cartoon watching on executive functions of children were gathered with the help of three different approaches and a test that encompassed three tasks. We have come to conclusion that a few second after watching a cartoon, quick actions and rapid scene changes affect the success of solving tasks that require executive functions. The results, however, showed that the frequency and quantity of cartoon watching does not affect the success of solving such tasks in the long run.
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