An unfortunate casualty of our increasingly fragmented media market is the ability of parents to stay informed about the content their children may be consuming.
With everything available everywhere at once, expecting parents to vet every movie, short, YouTube channel, streaming series, Insta feed, and video game is not only unrealistic — it’s literally impossible. Netflix alone currently has 2.2 million minutes of content available, which translates to approximately 36,000 hours of programming. YouTube uploads approximately 700,000 hours of videos every day.
And because it’s impossible to pre-screen everything your child might see across a variety of platforms, services, and devices, we rely on parental controls, content ratings, and other tools supposedly set up to help flag potentially problematic content. We learn to look for the “Y” or “Y7” or “G” or “PG” to know if something is appropriate and appropriate for our children’s age.
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It is not abdicating responsibility; it is accepting our limitations as finite beings with a finite amount of time.
Wade Davis, Netflix’s Vice President of Inclusion Strategy, has been very vocal about trans issues on social media. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/Netflix)
When a parent sees that an animated series on Netflix is rated TV-Y7, they can hardly be blamed for assuming that the content is generally suitable for a child aged 7 and up, as the rating indicates. You would think that issues of sexuality or so-called gender identity would not come close to this assessment, but you would be wrong.
Here is dialogue from the TV-Y7 animated Netflix program, “Dead End: Paranormal Park:”
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“It’s not the park. It’s me. I’m transgender, Norma. And everyone at school knows it, and everyone at home knows it. And because I’m here? It’s like I can just be Barney, and I can choose if and when I tell people. I’ve never been happier. And that’s saying something when I was chased all day by terrifying zombie mascots. Pugsy reminded me how important it is to live your life without apology. So I guess I should give life here a chance. You?”
After this clip went viral, internet sleuths went to work unearthing other examples of Netflix shows pushing LGBTQ and trans ideology on children, and there were plenty to find.
“Transformers EarthSpark” (rated Y-7), featured this conversation:
“Hey, it’s okay. I know I’m safe when I’m with my friends or other non-binary people.” “Non-binary?” ‘People who are not women or men. Oh, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed…” “I always knew my pronouns felt right, but… what a beautiful word for an amazing experience.”
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“Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City” (TV-Y) introduces kids to Lime Chiffon’s two dads: Banoffee, a transgender character, and Raisin Cane, who is nonbinary. Banoffee participates in a drag show and says, “As a transberry, I love living out loud as my most authentic self, and I wanted to dress as bold and unique as I am, which, let’s face it, is a tall order.”
But here’s the real problem: most of these clips are several years old. The clip from “Dead End: Paranormal Park” is at least three years old. Most people (including myself) commenting on it now were unaware of its existence until recently, when series creator Hamish Steele invited investigation by posting a vitriolic response to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s tweet about the murder of Charlie Kirk.
A promotional poster for Netflix’s ‘Cuties.’ (Netflix)
That means these programs have been flying under parents’ radar for three years and are automatically approved, or at least given the benefit of the doubt due to their Y, Y7, and PG ratings.
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It’s hard to know how many kids have already seen these episodes because Netflix doesn’t release viewership numbers or demographics. But it begs the question: How many kids are left struggling with questions about gender identity and sexuality that shouldn’t even be on their radar? How many have already embarked on an irreversible path towards self-harm and body mutilation because of this political and social activism masquerading as harmless children’s entertainment?
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It’s unforgivable.
What’s the takeaway for families?
An oft-quoted quote attributed to Maya Angelou says, “When someone shows you who he or she is, believe them the first time.”
This isn’t the first time Netflix has been controversial, and it won’t be the last. In May, Netflix released the final season of “Big Mouth,” an animated series that sexualizes adolescent children. In September 2020, Netflix lost subscribers due to sexualized depictions of children in the film “Cuties.” In 2019, Christians boycotted Netflix over blasphemous depictions of Jesus in “The First Temptation of Christ” and “The Last Hangover.” And in 2017, Netflix faced a backlash for its depiction of a teenage girl’s suicide in “13 Reasons Why.”
A recent Babylon Bee headline read: “Conservative Family Cancels Netflix Account Forever for the Fifth Time.”
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But it begs the question: How many kids are left struggling with questions about gender identity and sexuality that shouldn’t even be on their radar?
It would be easier for most of us to laugh if it didn’t come so uncomfortably close to the truth. “Netflix has declined to comment” on recent criticism, according to Variety.
As parents, it’s time for us to be honest with ourselves about the compromises we’re willing to make for the sake of entertainment. We can’t anticipate every potential risk, every horrifying piece of content our children might be exposed to, but Netflix has shown us time and time again who they really are. It’s time we believe them.
