Barbie, Peppa Pig And My Little Pony Cartoons Are Bad For Kids, Says Chinese Consumer Group

• The Jiangsu Consumer Council of China has listed 21 animated series that contain “inappropriate behavior.”
• Among those included in the list are Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, Peppa Pig, and My Little Pony.
• According to the organization, they have spotted numerous bad examples “that send out messages going against the mainland society’s mainstream values.”

China’s Jiangsu Consumer Council has recently named a total of 21 animated series that it deemed not suitable for children. Included in the list are popular cartoons such as Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, Detective Conan, My Little Pony, and Peppa Pig, among others.

According to the government-backed organization, they have concluded that the shows contained “inappropriate behavior” and language after going through the episodes and getting feedback from parents and teachers.

The consumer group reported that they discovered 123 “gloomy, thrilling and suspenseful” scenes from the animated shows such as in Peppa Pig where Daddy Pig opened the plane door and later fell from it. In a My Little Pony episode, one of the characters dipped itself in hot lava.

Meanwhile, Chinese animated series Bonnie Bears has received the most parent complaints as numerous harmful behavior have been spotted on the show. In a 2016 report, for example, a 10-year-old girl from Shaanxi province killed her younger sister with an electric saw after copying one of the Bonnie Bears character who used an electric saw.

The council further shared that they have obtained the data from 1,026 parents and primary school and kindergarten teachers via an online survey and face-to-face interviews. They also identified 1,465 “problematic points” and 416 scenes showing actions “that send out messages going against the mainland society’s mainstream values.”

In a media interview, law professor Li Chuan of the Southeast University suggested that China should have a rating system for animated shows.

He said:

“The animation sector needs guidance. Without the classifying system and concerning management, creators of the animation works don’t know their targeting market. They are trying to maximize their interests, but barely consider the elements of protecting juveniles.”

Meanwhile,netizens over at popular Chinese social media app WeChat have also shared their thoughts about the controversial topic.

One user wrote:

“I watched Detective Conan a lot in my childhood. I don’t find it has posed any vicious impact on me.”

Another commenter pointed out:

“In the series of Tom and Jerry, the violent plots are much more exaggerated. It has been popular all over the world for decades. In the consumer council’s logic, should it be banned?”