Cocomelon is one of the most popular YouTube Channels on planet. So, asking if it’s bad for toddlers may seem like a strange question. If something seems like it’s a good thing, there must be something beneath the surface that’s bad right?
If you’ve come here looking for conspiracy theories about how the creators of Cocomelon are secretly brainwashing children or have deep dark cult that they’re running, find a different website. There are tons of articles with crazy conspiracy theories, but this site does not have any of those.
After doing my own research and watching thousands of hours of Cocomelon and listening to hundreds of hours of music in the car, I consider myself an expert on the subject. Cocomelon is one of the most successful children’s entertainment entities of all time. They’ve made hundreds of millions of dollars and counting throughout the year.
Asking the Question
The question that we’re looking to answer, “Is Cocomelon bad for toddlers?” is one that many people are asking these days. It’s kind of a loaded question though because Cocomelon has most of their content on YouTube and if you know anything about YouTube you know how much experts will tell you it’s addicting to both adults and children. So, by being on YouTube, the transitive property (I think that’s the right reference from high school math class) would tell you that if YouTube is addictive and bad for kids, that would make Cocomelon addictive and bad for toddlers.
If you are someone that is looking for the answer to the question to be “Yes, Cocomelon is bad”, you can take that last sentence and run with it. But if you want to put a little more thought into it, keep reading. Yes, YouTube and social media is very addictive and bad for kids. I think most people would certainly agree on that. It’s like asking if cigarettes are bad for people. Of course, they are. Now while YouTube and social media won’t give you cancer (hopefully not) they will most likely have long lasting effects on developing brains in the future. This is coming from someone who is not a doctor at all just for the record.
Is Cocomelon Really Actually Bad for Toddlers?
If you take out the argument that it’s addicting, because again, you can argue that everything on YouTube can be considered addicting (I can spend hours watching Macho Man Randy Savage interviews and those are not bad) then NO, Cocomelon by itself is not bad. There I said it.
I should also make a note that I do not work for Cocomelon or get paid by them so unbiased. Although if Cocomelon would like to give me some of their millions I will gladly say whatever they want me to say.
Reasons Why Cocomelon is Not Bad
- Their music is soothing and entertaining for kids (and sometimes adults. When you are watching are listening to Cocomelon with your toddler, you can see how happy they get, and depending on what age they are, they’ll be happy to sing along. Their videos tell a story, and the songs are catchy. Most of them have melodies like nursery rhymes or are an updated take on kids’ classic songs.
- The characters are relatable. You’ll hear from a lot of anti-Cocomelon sites that the characters are creepy, and it looks like you’re staring into the eyes of mindless robots with heads that are too big for their bodies. News flash to those websites, these children are not alive. They are animated pretend graphics that are on your screen. At no point in time were any of these things alive. That’s not how television works. At no point in history did anyone ever complain that Bugs Bunny didn’t look real enough or have life behind his eyes. Let’s come back to reality people. The characters are fun, playful and are doing things that toddlers can relate to. Let’s not dissect these characters like a pig from science class (that’s my second reference to high school. Not that I’m keeping track).
- They are far more educational than 90% of YouTube. I’ll eventually write about other YouTube channels, but if you haven’t seen the depths of hell…I mean YouTube, I hope you never have to. If you think Cocomelon is bad for your toddler, try watching a random guy dipping random toys into a bucket of water or the “Coffin Dance” with superheroes. This isn’t an argument that everything else is bad too so leave Cocomelon alone…no…this is an argument that there are a ton of things on YouTube that are frankly…melting your toddlers’ brains…and Cocomelon at least gives them singing and dancing and stories with themes.
The more I write this article the more ridiculous I find the question honestly. Cocomelon is only bad for your toddler if you are handing them your phone or putting on the tv and letting them either watch it non-stop for 8 hours straight or handing them your phone or the remote and letting them do whatever they want. If you’re doing the second part, your child is bond to wind up watching something that you don’t want them to be watching.
So, steer clear of the unproven conspiracies about Cocomelon because they’ll just lead you down a rabbit hole of worrying about things you don’t need to. I will go out on a limb and say the creators of Cocomelon aren’t aiming for world domination by brainwashing your toddlers. If you’re someone that does think that Cocomelon is bad for toddlers, feel free to disagree with me in the comments section below.
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