Washington, Dec 9 (ANI): Children’s shows on TV can carry underlying political themes that may surprise parents, according to research by the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus.

In the study, political scientist Shauna Wilton and colleagues analysed 23 episodes of ‘Thomas and Friends’- a show about a train, his friends and their adventures on a fictional island- and identified themes that didn’t seem constructive for youngsters.

“While the show conveys a number of positive political values such as tolerance, listening, communicating with others and contributing to the community, it also represents a conservative political ideology that punishes individual initiative, opposes critique and change, and relegates females to supportive roles,” said Wilton.

In ‘Thomas and Friends’, Wilton noted storylines in several episodes that divided the characters into different social classes and punished those who tried to gain individual power.

“Any change is seen as disrupting the natural order of things,” Wilton said.

In addition, out of 49 main characters listed in the show, only eight were female, reflecting a general trend among children’s programming, said Wilton.

Parents, teachers and other experts such as political scientists would be wise to give children’s shows a closer look, Wilton added.

“We tend to think of children’s TV shows as neutral and safe, but they still carry messages. Eventually these children will attain full political citizenship, and the opinions and world outlook they develop now, partially influenced by shows like Thomas and Friends, are part of that process,” Wilton said.

The research findings were presented at a conference of the Canadian Political Science Association. (ANI)