During our childhood, we all were obsessed with cartoons. Cartoons made us laugh and were a way of entertainment for us. Recently, anime has also gained popularity all over the world. Not only children but also many adults enjoy watching anime. However, we have heard many times that specific episodes or scenes are not allowed to be telecast on television. Some cartoons and anime contain inappropriate or adult content that can affect watchers’ mental health. Generally, all cartoons are suitable for all ages. However, nowadays, this adult content is being shown because of the growing trend. Therefore, in this article, we will learn more about the adult content in cartoons and anime and its relations with youngsters’ mental well-being.
How Are Cartoons And Animes Gaining Popularity Among Youngsters?
However, People often understand cartoons and anime as the same but both are different terms. Cartoons are non-realistic visualizations, and anime are semi-realistic visualizations of real-life objects and characters. Animes and cartoons have also gained popularity among teenagers as well. One of the reasons behind this could be the easy access to online platform streaming that made it easy for children and youngsters to watch cartoons and anime. Another factor is that cartoons and animes bring an exciting and colorful storyline that catches the attention of teenagers. It does not only contain engaging backstories but can be used for educational purposes.
Since anime and cartoons hold some really significant life lessons like the value of friendships and relationships, teamwork and other tough real-life problems could impact youngsters. Furthermore, it can also catch the female audience’s attention as some of the animes have strong female leads that could make them admire and send a strong message to these youngsters.
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The Adult Themes Shown In Animes And Cartoons
Many adult themes have been shown in anime and cartoons to make people aware of these themes and the consequences they may cause. Although this adult theme can become a point of controversy, on the same side, it can prove good for these youngsters. These adult themes include violence, sexuality, horror, psychological thriller, morality, and identity. Not only do these adult themes become a source of entertainment, but can make them gain perspective on different situations. Anime and cartoons can help viewers understand many serious themes with entertainment and escape from reality. For example, death is one of the common themes being shown in anime and cartoons. This theme can be shown both in comedic and serious ways like in the show Bob’s Burgers and the Grave of Fireflies.
What Are Examples Of Adult Content In Youth-Oriented Cartoons And Animes?
There are quite many examples of adult content being present in youth-oriented cartoon animes. Such animes, could be based on any theme, for example, The Family Guy where flirtatious and suggestive comments are being used. In this section, we will understand these examples of adult content being telecasted.
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Violence And Gore:
The violence and gore is a debatable topic for many people. This theme has both pros and cons. The pro of this violence and gore theme is that it can make watchers look out for the consequences the characters face for this violence and help them to understand the real world. But the disadvantage of showing such a theme can leave a bad impact on children’s minds as it is a mature theme.
The occurrence of violence and gore themes is common in anime and cartoons. This contains intense fights, battles, blood-shedding, and deaths. Because of this, feelings of injustice, revenge, and trauma can arise, which can affect the physical and psychological well-being. This can make children understand the difference between what is wrong and right. However, at the same time, it can develop the feeling of anxiety and fear in youngsters. In some cases, it can also make them accept this violence in real life and tolerate it. This can negatively affect the youngster’s minds as well as society. These examples of violent scenes can be shown in a very popular anime like Naruto.
Sexual Themes And Nudity:
The sexuality and nudity theme has grown a lot on online streaming and this has also been shown in animations as well. Some people are accepting it and some are condemning it. Many cartoons like The Simpsons, Ricky, and Morty, display this theme in the shows. This theme is being shown in anime and cartoons to attract viewers and create an emotional relationship. Other than this nudity has also been a popular theme as it can lead to create a sense of negativity about their own body. Moreover, this could develop a sense of confusion among teenagers.Because most of these anime and cartoon content are consumed by teenagers and adolescents, therefore by showing this sexuality and nudity theme could create a dilemma between reality and fantasy.
Additionally, consuming such content at a young age can distort their view on relationships and can affect them in the future and also have a bad impact on their mental health.
Drugs, Alcohol, And Smoking References:
References to drugs, alcohol, and smoking are quite common in cartoons and anime. This can have adverse effects on the young audiences.
These themes are often displayed comically but still have a bad impact on youngsters. A prominent example of this theme being displayed is famous anime like One Piece and Bleach. These themes can make youngsters think that doing these inappropriate activities can make them cool and acceptable in our society while in reality, it does not. Making this type of content with this theme can make them confused and away from reality.
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What Are The Mental Health Impacts Of Adult Content?
The adult content in cartoons and anime could have a negative impact on youngsters. Since many young people and teenagers are watching this content on a large scale which makes it is important to address these issues as it creates ideas in the young minds that are far from reality.
Some of the mental health impacts include desensitization to violent sex, confusion about healthy relationships, and poor social development and empathy.
Desensitization To Violence And Sex:
Since teenagers and youngsters are still developing their own thought processes, watching content where violence is being shown can have a bad impact on their mental health. The anime and cartoons contain some really disturbing, inappropriate harmful content that can traumatize the viewers. Moreover, consuming animes with adult content can lead to desensitization to violence and sex among teenagers. This can create an impact on their moral development as they think that these actions are acceptable in society.
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Confusion About Healthy Relationships:
Another serious issue in consuming adult content in cartoons and animes among youngsters is the confusion about healthy relationships. Like if you are watching animes where the characters are being sexually aggressive. The viewers can think this is cool in relationships and acceptable. This can confuse teenagers about the importance of boundaries, and consent. Consuming such content at this young age can lead to difficulties in the future. They can view relationships as a physical need only and not as an emotional one. Also, they cannot differentiate between fantasy and reality. Lastly, seeing the anime characters engaging in inappropriate activities can make you believe that it is okay to do such activities at a young age.
