Luttappi and Mayavi are characters who influenced a lot of people. Today, the influence of Luttappi and Mayavi has reduced a lot, and because of this, children are facing their own problems.
In the old days, what we mostly used to do was read such books like Poombatta, Balarama, and Balamangalam. But replacing all of this, one thing has come into our lives – our mobile phone.
Reading vs Watching
There is a big difference between reading a story to a child and making them watch a cartoon.
When we read a story to a child, we are reading something like “Once upon a time there was a king,” and the child is imagining it. Cognition is happening in the brain. There is something called imagination in the brain, and brain development is happening – a king, a princess, a palace – everything is imagination.
The Screen Effect
But for today’s children, instead of this, they are getting all of it on the screen.
● Light, color, sound: It is a flow of senses.
● No Imagination Needed: Because of this, the child does not need to imagine anything, since everything is coming through the screen.
Along with this, the child is moving into a fast phase, and there is also a dopamine rush happening. Because of this sensory overload, no development is happening for the child’s cognitive function. Gradually, the child will get wired into this phase.
The Impact on Behavior
The child will expect the same from society. Suddenly, when a game finishes, a token is received, the child becomes happy – “Very good job.” This is exactly what they expect from society.
Whatever they do, they want quick results. Waiting becomes less, patience becomes less, and in this way their brain gets wired.
To be honest, this has affected children very badly today – their communication, their imagination, everything. During the child development stage, too many cartoons have had a huge impact.
Conclusion
Surely, developing storybooks like Balarama, Kalikkudukka, and reading habits in children is very, very good.