Over the years, there have been multiple debates about whether superheroes are good or bad examples for children. A 2007 study showed that the superhero culture makes children believe that certain risky behaviors are normal, occasionally leading some youngsters to suffer serious physical injuries.
In June 2007, another study on the subject was published, stating that children who liked superheroes said they were more sociable with others. Meanwhile, a more recent study published in 2017 found that superhero entertainment causes children to become more aggressive and less sociable.
Despite the researchers’ statements, some adults have felt that they had to do something to protect the little kids. In May 2013, a preschool from Pennsylvania distributed pamphlets to notify parents that their children could no longer play superheroes in the institution because they apparently hurt each other.
In 2016, Australian childcare centers asked parents not to send their children dressed as superheroes as they were prone to perform self-harming actions. In any case, some decisions of this kind may have gone too far.[
Also in 2013, an elementary school forbade children to wear superhero costumes on Halloween because they could be “scary” for some of their classmates. Two years later, another school prevented a girl from carrying her Wonder Woman lunch box. The institution claimed that it did not admit images of “violent characters” and that “superheroes certainly fall into that category.”
We can agree or disagree with this kind of attitude from adults. But it is clear that more studies are needed to determine the real impact of superheroes on the delicate psyche of little children.
