Why Your Family Doesn’t Need to Consume Something Just Because It’s Marketed to Children
By Movieguide® Staff
Families stuck at home are desperate for content parents and children can enjoy together. It’s a trend that multiple streamers have noticed, and platforms like Netflix have devoted scads of resources to developing departments that focus on kid-friendly entertainment. The problem is, what they think is “kid-friendly” may not be appropriate for your family.
As Christians, we ourselves and our families to Biblical standards in how we live our lives, and that includes the content we consume. We understand that what we watch can begin to shape our worldview and attitudes. That’s why we at Movieguide® advocate for watching movies and television programs that promote a Christian or biblical worldview where positive attributes like honoring family, extolling forgiveness, team work, compassion, charity, kindness, and selflessness, among other virtues, are praised.
Unfortunately, much of the programs targeting children these days do not include these faith-filled elements.
For example, Variety reports that a bisexual YouTuber is creating a new show for children about an LGBTQ+ princess for a platform called pocket.watch.
According to its website, pocket.watch is “a digital-first studio building franchises for the next generation of families: a fresh, industry-disrupting approach to forging franchises for Generation Alpha. We are the only kids and family digital focused studio that delivers 7.4 BILLION views every month — and growing.
“We’re on a mission to transform the top-performing family YouTube channels into multi-category global franchises, and we’ve got it all — The Stars, The Shows, and The Goods — to bring kids more of what they love everywhere that kids play,” the site continues.
In theory it sounds like a good idea, but what happens when the content pushes an anti-biblical agenda?
Take the bisexual YouTuber’s show, LILLY SINGH’S PROUD PRINCESS, as an example.
According to Variety:
In “Lilly Singh’s Proud Princess,” the YouTuber and host of NBC’s “A Little Late with Lilly Singh” will voice a young girl discovering pride in her true identity. The film is currently in pre-production.
“She’s an amazing talent and represents an example of the diverse points of view we are bringing to our audience,” Pocket.watch chief content officer Albie Hecht said. The film “will speak to LGBTQ identity issues for kids. Lilly will be an eloquent and articulate spokesperson for that.”
For Christian families, opting out of such content should be a no-brainer. However, as Christian parents, we are biblically obligated to train up our children in the way they should go. For content consumption, this means teaching our children appropriate media discernment.
Dr. Ted Baehr, Moviguide® founder and publisher, says that we must teach our children media discernment for the following reasons:
- We must inform children of other worldviews and philosophies and enhance their biblical education to reinforce Christian Theism.
- We must prepare them to think about and reject the subtle messages of the media.
- We must teach and model a godly disciplined lifestyle.
Don’t trust something is safe for your family just because it’s marketed to them. Instead, use this guide to determine if a program is appropriate for your home.
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