Get more Tourettes representation in Children’s media!


Get more Tourettes representation in Children’s media!
The Issue
There is no character representation in current media for children with Tourettes and similar disorders which cause tics; this needs to change.
The British channel CBeebies, which is managed by CBBC(BBC) has many which teach children that it’s okay to be different and also explains how people may be different but we’re all the same.
1 of every 162 children (0.6%) have Tourettes and yet WHERE is the representation? What characters can these children look up to and see that their tics are not scary? No one. As there is no characters in Children’s content that provide this information. Children with Tourettes are more likely to get bullied which causes children to:
•Be depressed, lonely, anxious;
•Have low self-esteem;
•Experience headaches, stomachaches, tiredness, and poor eating;
•Be absent from school, dislike school, and have poorer school performance; and
•Think about suicide or plan for suicide.
But with this representation we could begin to normalise this condition to children and therefore reduce these symptoms in children.
One of the shows I believe could make a change in this matter is titled “Octonauts” and I believe it would be the perfect show to debut a character with Tourettes. The already existing characters go on a different aquatic adventure each episode and on said adventures meet new characters which aren’t necessarily ever seen again. On one of these adventures, the main characters could have an encounter with a creature with Tourettes and then talk about how having Tourettes doesn’t make them scary, just a little bit different.
441
The Issue
There is no character representation in current media for children with Tourettes and similar disorders which cause tics; this needs to change.
The British channel CBeebies, which is managed by CBBC(BBC) has many which teach children that it’s okay to be different and also explains how people may be different but we’re all the same.
1 of every 162 children (0.6%) have Tourettes and yet WHERE is the representation? What characters can these children look up to and see that their tics are not scary? No one. As there is no characters in Children’s content that provide this information. Children with Tourettes are more likely to get bullied which causes children to:
•Be depressed, lonely, anxious;
•Have low self-esteem;
•Experience headaches, stomachaches, tiredness, and poor eating;
•Be absent from school, dislike school, and have poorer school performance; and
•Think about suicide or plan for suicide.
But with this representation we could begin to normalise this condition to children and therefore reduce these symptoms in children.
One of the shows I believe could make a change in this matter is titled “Octonauts” and I believe it would be the perfect show to debut a character with Tourettes. The already existing characters go on a different aquatic adventure each episode and on said adventures meet new characters which aren’t necessarily ever seen again. On one of these adventures, the main characters could have an encounter with a creature with Tourettes and then talk about how having Tourettes doesn’t make them scary, just a little bit different.
441
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Petition created on 15 August 2020