Slow Media, Strong Minds: Helping Children Focus Again: Akanksha Sharma, PRT English, KIS Noida

There was a quiet charm in growing up with the television of the 90s and early 2000s.

We eagerly waited for our favourite shows like Mowgli, Tom, and Jerry, or the ever-calming Oswald on POGO. Do you remember how those simple cartoons felt like a gentle breeze after a long school day? We tuned in at fixed times, often with the whole family gathered around.

There were no autoplay buttons or instant rewinds-just slow-building storylines, light-hearted humour, and characters we patiently grew to love.

This unhurried pace didn’t merely entertain us—it shaped us. It taught us how to wait, imagine, reflect, and focus. It allowed us to sit with a feeling, follow a story through, and return the next day with anticipation. It gave us room to think.

Then came the digital age. The turn of the century brought rapid technological change with smartphones, high-speed internet, and streaming platforms that made everything instant. This shift naturally seeped into family life.

Today’s children are growing up in a world where content is not only fast-paced but also available around the clock. With just a tap or voice command, they’re immersed in an endless scroll of bright visuals, rapid edits, quickly changing frames per second, and hyper-stimulating soundtracks.

The constant availability and instant entertainment have, over time, wired young minds for instant gratification. It also affects the brain’s executive functions, which are crucial for learning and development. These include:

Working memory — holding and using information

Inhibitory control — self-regulation and impulse control

Cognitive flexibility — shifting attention and adapting to change

When children are constantly stimulated by fast visuals and instant rewards, their brains have less opportunity to practise patience, follow through on tasks, or regulate emotions. Over time, this can lead to impulsive behaviour, poor concentration, and difficulty handling frustration.

While these challenges are real, they’re not irreversible.

Revisit the classic shows with your children. Watch them together. Laugh at the silliness. Discuss the stories. Let them experience the warmth, the pacing, and the storytelling that once brought us joy. We still have the power to shape our children’s media landscape.

Be intentional with the media. The internet may be vast and largely unregulated, but our choices can still offer structure and meaning. Digital literacy for parents is just as important as digital awareness for children. Together, we can steer toward content that encourages empathy, patience, curiosity, and imagination.

YouTube is not a replacement for kids’ television. We were fortunate to grow up with curated shows, designed for our age. We watched them under the watchful eyes of our families. Our mothers teased us for the cartoons we loved, yet they reveled in the fun too. It’s that blend of supervision, connection, and joy that made the experience wholesome.

Let’s bring that back—one episode, one story, one mindful screen-time moment at a time.

Akanksha Sharma

PRT English, KIS Noida