At only 21 years old, it makes my hair go grey to say “back in my day…”, but the debates around children’s TV really do make me feel old. On top of the debate surrounding how much TV should be allowed, there’s also the question of what TV children should be watching. Children and their parents today don’t just rely on whatever appears on the TV schedule – smart TV's with access to countless streaming services are increasingly popular. With access to Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Amazon Prime and more, there’s an overwhelming amount of choice at the best of times. When the choice of program someone sits a toddler in front of is linked to determining a child’s future IQ, I imagine the whole process gets a lot more stressful.
Young children have to learn creativity, kindness and empathy
If we’re going to listen to a childless university student’s opinion, I’d argue that it’s far too easy to say “all TV is good” or “all TV is bad”. As is almost always the case, this is a topic that requires nuance and understanding of individuals’ experiences. While some children’s TV is admittedly pretty light on educational value (I’m not sure what life lessons I got from SpongeBob SquarePants), that doesn’t mean its inherently bad. I can confidently say that not everything I watch is educational, and while children have a lot more to learn than I do, it would be hypocritical to say that everything has to be tied to education.
I’m also of the opinion that anyone joining in on this debate has to be clear in what sort of education they’re looking for – young children have to learn creativity, kindness and empathy just as much (if not more!) than their 2-times-tables. In recent years, children’s TV has stepped up the diversity of their shows, normalising families outside of the nuclear structure, letting BIPOC and / or disabled children see themselves on screen, and more. Not only does this representation benefit the children who see themselves in their favourite characters, but it allows children an access to learn more about the diverse world we live in.
Educating children this way isn’t new. In fact, Sesame Street was created specifically to help children from low-income families who would otherwise lack preparation before entering school. The modern take on the same trend only attempts to go further, continuing to blend entertainment with education with a deeper understanding of the questions that children naturally want answers to.
While it would be ideal for kids to be outside and engaged in active play, that’s never going to be the case 24/7
Luckily for all parents in this day and age, there’s a continuing trend of shows being produced that are truly fit for the family, not just the kid. Currently, the most popular example of this is Bluey, an animated Australian show focusing on the Heeler family. Praised for its “social realism”, Bluey focuses on a modern family (admittedly of colourful cartoon dogs) in which both parents work, the father is actively involved in his children’s life, and ensures that realistic issues – such as infertility and self-doubt – are dealt with appropriately and sensitively. In this way, children not only learn to empathise with the adults in their lives, but adults watching get a gentle reminder: they’re doing the best they can.
It is worth restating that not all children’s TV is perfect, with some shows even accused of decreasing children’s attention spans. But, overall, I still think it would be hypocritical of me to complain about a lack of substance in TV when I’ve willingly watched three seasons of Riverdale. Generally, there seems to be a lot of children’s TV trying to be better than the shows I grew up with, increasing diversity and making steps to discuss things previously deemed taboo. While it would be ideal for kids to be outside and engaged in active play, that’s never going to be the case 24/7 – as far as I’m concerned, a few episodes of Bluey couldn’t do much harm.
