Remember when you would go home after elementary school and directly sit in front of the television for the next few hours? For many, this was their daily ritual. For most of us as well, our parents would join. Today, however, this isn’t true.
Children’s television today is completely different than what the “90’s kid” generation grew up with.
For one, when we grew up, most of us were watching with our parents. Our childhood shows, like Nicktoons such as “Hey Arnold”, “SpongeBob Squarepants”, “Ren and Stimpy”, or “The Fairly Oddparents” included references that kids wouldn’t understand but adults totally did.
Today, kid’s television is dumbed down. Due to the fact that fewer parents are watching television with their kids, media companies have caught on. Cartoons contain fewer references for adults, and contain more straightforward humor for kids.
Even though there are some cartoons on television, there has been a shift between cartoon kids television shows and live action kid’s shows. In the past years, shows like “Girl Meets World”, “Victorious”, “Bella and The Bulldogs”, and more have become kid’s television shows. Having live action shows can make a false sense of reality for today’s kids while cartoons create a divide between reality and fiction.
Despite all these conflicts, there is one thing to be said: Our shows were, and still are, timeless. Today, you can still turn on “SpongeBob” or “Pokémon” and enjoy the nostalgia that was your childhood. Shows on television aimed at kids, like “Lazytown” or “Yo Gabba Gabba”, are easily outgrown due to the sense of childish and juvenile humor.
Therefore, it is clear to say that though today’s kid’s television shows do provide entertainment and possible educational moral lessons, 90’s kids win this one: because you can’t sit down with your mom and watch “Girl Meets World” like you can with “Hey Arnold”.
