Beware the Dangerous Waters of Today’s Kids’ Shows and Find Better Options

Back in the day our parents cautioned us not to go to a certain part of town.

And, when we went out with friends, they had us keep a coin tucked away in case we needed to use a pay phone to call them. Yes, there used to be phones you put coins in, found throughout our cities, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. (Cell phones only became widely used in the late 90s and early 2000s) Back to the point – it was all about teaching us to stay safe.

Today, danger isn’t relegated to a specific geographic location. It’s everywhere.

We face perils right in our homes as the Internet, social media, and streaming shows bring the good, bad, and extremely ugly into our private spaces. Really, it was easier to avoid “that part of town” than it is to dodge the strangers influencing our families through our entertainment choices at home.

In some ways, the Internet’s offerings are especially insidious because these media options are at our fingertips 24/7 and take on the guise of fun with colorful animation, music, and imagery designed to woo. And, as parents, we’re busy – overworked and overstressed, so it’s easy to let things slide with our kids if it seems everything’s okay. Sadly, we can no longer feel safe with that standard, mamas. It’s become more critical than ever for us to become experts at media discernment and know what our kids are watching.

I remember when my littles were toddlers, someone told me that “play” was their work. It was how they learned at that tender age. Likewise, as they got a few years older, entertainment became educational. Not because it taught some valuable life lesson but because even as adults, we are trained and influenced by what we are entertained by. How much more are children who don’t have fully developed brains – or reasoning – influenced and groomed by the things they view, listen to, and interact with. They don’t yet have the wherewithal to identify something harmful or untrue. That’s why we wanted to take this opportunity to offer our own warning: beware of the dangerous waters of kid’s shows. It’s getting pretty bad out there. We want to help you discover how to find better options for your family.

We won’t touch on the addictive nature of social media and scrolling reels and videos on smartphones. That’s another equally important topic for another day. For this moment, let’s look at cartoons primarily. Some are aimed at our littlest kids, and others are for an older demographic; however, when content is animated, it may be hard for your kids to know which ones are for them – and which should be avoided. As moms, we’ve got to face facts: ignoring the messages intentionally infiltrating animation is risky. Pretending that it’s not a problem is asking for big trouble.

First, The Bad News

What happened to Wyle E. Coyote and his ill-fated plans to take out the Road Runner? Sitting with a bowl of cereal on our shag carpet, watching that mischievous coyote thwarted every Saturday morning by his own ACME-branded explosives never got old when I was a kid.

My, how things have changed. The bad news is that we can’t even allow our kids unfettered access to previous favorites like Sesame Street, Blues Clues, and Muppet Babies. Each of those has offered preschool promotion of gender ideology or alternative lifestyles. Though there are still a few out there that are relatively unscathed by woke ideology, it’s creeping into a stunning number of shows you trusted in the past.

Then there are newer options that are a slap to our sensibilities with witchcraft, demonism, LGBTQ indoctrination, gore, violence, and anti-parent rhetoric. Sadly, for many media companies, it’s no longer about quality storytelling and entertainment – it’s about teaching a generation a new way of looking at life. It’s subtle- but effective indoctrination.

If you think this is an exaggeration – think again.

Here’s a list of just a few of the more troubling programs, with a note of caution beside each. My brief call out of the negative aspects of each may not be exhaustive. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time or stomach to dig into each in depth. Suffice it to say that they are worth a word of caution to any parent considering content for their kids.

Another note: A few of these are no longer being created; however, they were included because of their popularity and continued availability.

TV or Streaming:

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake – Max – LGBTQ, gender-swapping, demonic gods, dark, gore, anti-male, occasional foul language, TV-14
Baymax! – Disney – LGBTQ, TV-G
CoComelon – somewhat subtle LGBTQ, for preschoolers
Dead End: Paranormal Park – Netflix – demon possession, ghosts, LGBTQ, TV-Y7
Delicious Dungeon – Netflix – Gore, foul language, nudity, TV-MA rating
The Ghost and Molly McGee – Disney – LGBTQ, possession, supernatural, TV-Y7
Hailey’s On It – Disney – so far, one LGBTQ character, but rumor has it more are coming, TV-Y7
Harley Quinn – Max – LGBTQ, violence, foul language, TV-MA
Hazbin Hotel – Prime Video – LGBTQ, porn star character, celebrates Hell, Satan, witchcraft – anti-God, angels, Heaven and the concept of “good,” foul language, TV-MA
Hilda – Netflix – witchcraft, necromancy, LGBTQ, TV-Y7
Kipo and the Wonderbeasts – Netflix – LGBTQ, TV-Y7
Legend of Korra – Nickelodeon –blood bending (power to contort peoples’ bodies through controlling their blood), self-harm, gore, subtle LGBTQ, TV-PG
The Loud House – Nickelodeon – LGBTQ, potty humor, TV-Y7
Maya and the Three – supernatural, Mayan culture, dark, references to human sacrifice, TV-Y7
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur – Disney – LGBTQ -TV-Y7
The Owl House – Disney – LGBTQ including same-sex parents and girls kiss, set in “Demon Realm,” includes witchcraft, preferred pronoun use, TV-Y7
The Proud Family – Disney – LGBTQ, racism, TV-PG
Steven Universe – Cartoon Network – Heavy LGBTQ, same-sex kissing, dark themes, gore, foul language – TV-13 (though this one ended in 2019, it remains popular and easy to stream)
Velma – Max – adult humor, drug references, LGBTQ, foul language, TV-MA

That long list barely scratches the surface. There are dozens more, too many to include in one blog. Reviewing almost anything and everything your kids will ingest is a good idea. It’s clear that Disney is making good on its reported promises to load its new content with modern messages of LGBTQ ideology, and other networks are joining in that departure from family-friendly entertainment.

Pro-Tip: We recommend PluggedIn.com to get the details on various shows, movies, and gaming. The editors of Plugged In seem to mostly steer clear of telling you what to do. Instead, they provide deep-dive details on entertainment choices you may be wondering about.

The Good News – The Parallel Economy Strikes Back

As Hollywood implodes with its contortions to favor woke priorities over good storytelling, and many animators follow suit; there is good news. There is also a new generation of creatives who aren’t bowing to that pressure. The mainstream shows on our list haven’t changed despite pressure in the industry. The others represent the parallel economy’s effort to take back kids’ entertainment to restore good-hearted creativity with the fun, humor, and storytelling that used to be the gold standard.

In addition to mainstream offerings like Bluey and My Little Pony, the good news is a growing number of new shows are coming online from various entities. They all seem to have a common goal – to make kids’ shows great again. From Daily Wire’s Bentkey, Yippee, Minno, and Prager U Kids, to Nickelodeon veteran Butch Hartman’s (Fairly Odd Parents, Danny Phantom, T.U.F.F. Puppy) new venture, there is a growing and appreciative audience hoping to protect their kiddos while giving them the joy of creative, fun, and educational shows.

Here are just a few of the family-safe shows that we know of:

Around the World – Prager U – Teaching tweens about life in different countries.
A Wonderful Day with Mabel Maclay – Bentkey – Not animated, Mr. Rogers-style neighborhood fun
Bluey – Ludo Studio/Disney+ – Wholesome and sweet
Billy the Cowboy Hamster – Bentkey – Animal friends exploring the Wild West
Chip Chilla – Bentkey – Chinchilla family fun
The Garden Cartoon – Butch Hartman, Streaming and App – Bible-based fun with music as Lenny the Lion and Lucy the Lamb adventure in a miraculous garden
Kid Cosmic – Netflix – Kid and his team of heroes battle aliens to protect the earth
Leo & Layla’s History Adventures – Prager U – Time-traveling kids learn US History
The Lion Guard – Disney Junior – Well conceived spin-off of The Lion King movie
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic – Netflix – This longtime favorite has spanned more than a decade – a world of colorful ponies and engaging storylines
Otto’s Tales – Prager U – Classic stories and American history
Paw Patrol – Nick Jr./Paramount+ – Rescue dogs with the slogan, “No job is too big, no pup is too small”
Phineas & Ferb – Disney – Classic character-driven fun, still available to stream
Pirata and Capitano – Bentkey – Adventure at Sea
Superbook – Yippee – Kids travel to biblical times
Supertato – BBC/Bentkey – Watch a bold vegetable save the day
Torchlighters – Yippee – Animated stories of heroes of the faith
VeggieTales – Yippee/Great American Pure Flix – Bob and Larry learn biblical truth and sing songs we can never forget
Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse – Disney – new animation, lighthearted and fun
Young David – Angel Studios/Minno – David’s story, beautiful music and animation

A disclaimer is in order. This list doesn’t imply an endorsement by Moms for America of all the content these represent. Thus far, these have maintained a family-friendly standard. We cannot promise they won’t stray from their current path, so it’s important to stay vigilant, mamas.

One point worth mentioning is that with all the streaming options, you might consider introducing your kids to some of the classics you loved when you were their age. Things like Looney Tunes, Little Bear, Tom & Jerry, The Backyardigans, or The Jetsons.

We spoke with one of the new pioneers in Kids’ entertainment, specifically gaming, on this week’s podcast. Through his bold venture, TruPlay, Brent Dusing and his team plan to build a “beautiful, fun, world-class entertainment platform which invites children into a world of hope and God’s truth.”

Our “bad news” was terrible; however, the future is ripe for creators and artists to forge a new path into a renaissance of quality storytelling to spark the next generation’s imagination. As streaming makes poisonous content so easy to access, there is also a bright side. That same availability is there for great options, too. Use it to your family’s advantage. We hope this information helps you to consider how to approach media discernment with your family.

Now, it’s up to you. Come on, mamas, pop the popcorn while the kids change into their jammies and you can give them something worth watching.

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