Mom Made One Change to Screen Time—and It Transformed Her Kids' Behavior

Newsweek

15 hours ago

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When her young children began acting out after screen time, mother and content creator Nika Diwa started to wonder whether what they were watching might be playing a role. She decided to try something different—an approach that's since gone viral and sparked a wider conversation among parents online.
"I realized modern shows were becoming too overstimulating because my kids would act out in tantrums after watching, or they would have trouble transitioning to another activity after the show," Diwa told Newsweek. "My husband had the idea to try out older, classic shows."
On December 5, 2024, Diwa shared a video to her Instagram account, @nika.diwa, showing her seated on a couch with her young daughter as they quietly watched an old anime film together.
An overlaid text on the clip read: "Watching classic Japanese anime to help regulate my toddler because modern kids' shows are overstimulating."
The post quickly went viral, receiving more than 475,000 likes and widespread agreement from fellow parents in the comments.
Diwa said she does not know any other parents personally who have made the same switch, but she encourages others to try.
"We have seen such a positive difference in our kids and bonus: it has been so fun to relive our favorite beloved classics," she said.
Older Japanese anime, such as the works of Studio Ghibli, is often characterized by slower pacing, subdued music and gentle storytelling—a marked contrast to the bright visuals, rapid scene cuts and frenetic energy found in much of today's children's programming and online content designed for children.
Similar parents commenting on Diwa's post said the switch made a noticeable difference in their own homes, with several sharing anecdotes of improved moods and calmer transitions to offscreen activities.
Are modern cartoons overstimulating your child? Some parents think so—and they're switching things up.
Are modern cartoons overstimulating your child? Some parents think so—and they're switching things up.
Peter Byrne/PA Wire URN:17423429 Press Association via AP Images
One viewer commented: "It does! It works! My kid sits in one place and watches the entire movie, instead of hopping and jumping around and getting overstimulated."
"I'm convinced that shows airing from 1990-2010 had this effect on 2000s kids that's quite unexplainable but made us normal," another added.
In the video, Diwa and her daughter were watching Kiki's Delivery Service, a 1989 Studio Ghibli film.
The genre as a whole is widely celebrated for its age-appropriate narratives and emotional depth, and the film has long been praised for its thoughtful portrayal of childhood and growing up.
More-recent viewers of the film, like those in Diwa's comments, have praised it for its lack of sensory overload.
As more parents seek alternatives to the high-octane programming that dominates children's entertainment, Diwa's decision to revisit the gentler aesthetics of vintage anime appears to have offered not only a nostalgic reprieve for adults, but also a regulatory tool for young viewers.
Dr. Mary Beth DeWitt, chief of child psychology at Dayton Children's Hospital in Ohio, told Newsweek that an overconsumption of not just modern media, but any media, may be harmful to young children.
"Toddlers, by nature, are learning self-regulatory skills, and may vary in the temperamental characteristics that contribute to overstimulation," DeWitt said. "In general, parents should create a calm yet stimulating environment, establish routines and try to limit screen time.
"Toddlers do best with a predictable routine, which may include calming activities," DeWitt added.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests that screen time should be limited to one hour per day of quality programming. DeWitt said that this time should be spent with an adult who can help make sense of what they are seeing.
"However, kids in general spend about seven hours a day on media, and are often exposed to a variety of messages," DeWitt added. "But a family media plan can help families make wise media choices.
"The AAP recommends that parents and caregivers develop a plan that takes into account the health, education and entertainment needs of each individual child as well as the whole family; and then follow the family media plan together, revising it when necessary."
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