For something to be damaging there would have to be some damage somewhere. You wouldn’t describe a bad head cold as dancing and that will absolutely lead to a pissed off two year old with trouble sleeping for several nights.

When I taught kindergarten one of the children in the youngest class at the time was terrified of the Eensy Weensy Spider video and of the Elephant in a Hickory Dickory Dock video. I told her to close her eyes when it was coming up. She did. Eventually she got over it.

The idea that a scary clown can be “damaging” is a testament to helicopter parenting. Up to 1900 it would be a rare person indeed that didn’t have siblings die before they were ten and basically no one would make it b that far without having a friend or family member die. That’s trauma. That’s damaging.

> For something to be damaging there would have to be some damage somewhere.

You seem to think emotional trauma isn’t real. It is. And studies of its effects show that it is just as harmful to the brain as physical trauma.

I'd describe it as a learning experience. If you don't get opportunities to grow up, you stay a child forever. Having said that, I wouldn't allow anyone younger than six to watch anything on a screen anywhere.

I had a friend who lost a finger holding a firework. Learning experiences can be damaging.