Cartoons ‘turn kids into yobs’

Tom & Jerry

,

Digimon

and

Scooby Doo

might seem the perfect shows for your little one, but they’re actually turning kids into yobs, a new study has warned.

According to psychologists, primary school pupils ape “verbal” aggression in cartoons such as Pokemon.

To reach the conclusion, behaviour in class was compared to the types of shows watched by pupils as young as seven.

“There is ample evidence physical aggression on TV is associated with increases in aggressive behaviour,” The Sun quoted researcher Jennifer Linder, as saying.

The study comprised of 95 primary pupils and asked them about their favourite TV shows and then rated them for violent content.

Programmes like Bugs Bunny were analysed for indirect, physical and verbal aggression.

Shows aimed at children aged seven or older were found to contain the highest level of physical violence, nearly three times as much as shows aimed at 14-year-olds.