Classic cartoon flicks have been entertaining kids for decades. Now, psychologists have claimed that these films are giving children the "wrong message" about how to deal with "stranger danger".
A new study by Carleton University has claimed that classic cartoon films contain scenes in which children receive "unwanted personal contact" or "threatening approaches" from adults, and fail to set an example the way they respond.
According to the psychologists, the cartoon films also undermine efforts to teach children about personal safety and how to minimise the risk of sexual abuse by treating victims' discomfort with humour, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.
"It is possible viewing these scenes could influence children to believe that telling a trusted adult about a stranger's advances is unnecessary because the film characters model successful independence," the study said.
In fact, the psychologists came to the conclusion after analysing 47 animated Walt Disney films, all released between 1937 and 2006.
They found that six films - 'Robin Hood', 'Sleeping Beauty', 'Cinderella', 'The Little Mermaid', 'The Sword in the Stone', and 'A Goofy Movie' -- depict children and adolescent characters experiencing unwanted personal contact.
A further four films - 'Snow White', 'Pinocchio', 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'The Jungle Book' -- were found to show child-like characters in risky situations where strangers approach them with "hidden malevolence" and promise rewards in exchange for their compliance.
"The depictions of child and adolescent characters being grabbed and kissed against their will by adult characters is particularly problematic for the boy characters Wart (The Sword in the Stone), Flounder (The Little Mermaid), and Skippy (Robin Hood), because the context is humorous.
"The treatment would probably be upsetting if it happened to a real child, and treating it as humorous is directly contradicting sexual safety education
that teaches children that they get to decide who touches their bodies," the study's lead author Dr Wendy Hovdestad said.
The findings are published in the latest edition of the 'Child Abuse' journal.
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