Spirit Doll Content Can Make Children Develop False Beliefs: Expert

jpnn.com, JAKARTA - A psychologist from the University of Indonesia, A. Kasandra Putranto, has asked Indonesian parents not to underestimate the effects of spirit doll content to their children.

Spirit dolls have been widely discussed by the public after comedian and fashion designer Ivan Gunawan and a number of other celebrities revealed that they kept one.

Spirit dolls are dolls that resemble human babies and are treated like children by their owners. They are dressed and cared for daily.

According to Kasandra, children that are exposed to spirit doll content on social media may develop false beliefs that contradict the reality.

"Their brains are not yet fully developed. Children tend to believe anything they see online or in person," Kasandra said, as quoted by Antara, Saturday (8/1).

However, she added that it did not necessarily create a psychotic disorder, which occured due to genetic or parenting factors, as well as pressure or trauma.

Nevertheless, parents played an important role in supervising their children when watching such content, she argued.

According to Kasandra, adults own spirit dolls because they have a need to care for other people.