What Animated Cartoons Tell Viewers about Assault

Relying upon a content analysis of one specific type of medium to which young people are exposed beginning at an early age, on a regular basis, and for many years (i.e., animated cartoons), the present study examines what types of messages are provided about violence that takes the form of simple assault. This research examines the following issues: (1) How prevalent is violent assault in animated cartoons, and has this prevalence changed over time? (2) What characteristics tend to be associated with being a perpetrator or a victim of assault? (3) What types of effects are shown to result from hitting, slapping, or punching others? (4) What reasons are given for why cartoon characters engage in this type of violence? Results indicate that assault is fairly prevalent in cartoons (it is the most common type of violence shown) and that this prevalence has diminished over time. Most of the time, cartoons show assaults to "land" on their intended victims, but having done so, to cause few if any adverse effects. For example, victims rarely experience pain or incur cuts, scrapes, or broken bones, and they rarely suffer more serious consequences than these. Moreover, assaults rarely backfire on the perpetrators. Anger, revenge, and inherent meanspiritedness are the most common reasons implied for why characters commit acts of violent assault.