“Mom, can I watch a show?” is something every child says when they are younger. The screen is something that draws attention to every kid and it’s what’s on the screen that keeps wanting them for more. Through the past several years the adaptation of childhood shows has changed drastically. What parents watched ages ago isn’t what’s popular anymore and what teens watched a couple years ago isn’t the same as what children these days are watching. Childhood T.V. shows are ever changing and affecting children’s lives everyday.
Back in the day, children weren’t as drawn to the screen as they are now. People spent their time doing other activities and television was a last option of fun. Today children are drawn to the T.V. more and more. They love seeing their favorite characters act, sing, and dance on the screen to keep them entertained.
English teacher Mrs. Wilson speaks on her experience as a child watching T.V. compared to how her kids watch T.V. today. “My world wasn’t dictated by shows I watch. I definitely missed chronological episodes. My kids will binge watch entire shows not letting more than a couple episodes pass between episodes.” The addiction to screens has grown and has become a whole lot worse for this new generation of kids.
Something that has changed throughout T.V. is what kids are watching these days. Some of the most popular shows are “Bluey”, “Paw Patrol”, “Cocomelon”, etc. A lot of teens say “This isn’t what I watched as a kid.” Teens when they were kids watched, “Spongebob”, “Peppa Pig”, “Wonder Pets”. More kids today also are given access to streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu to watch a lot of their shows while teens today when they were kids they were either watching Disney, Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. A lot of T.V. shows these days are more up with the times and studios have more ideas to add to the older shows.
Junior Isaac Poteat speaks on how his childhood shows are different now. “I feel me and my parents have a similar T.V. style when it came to what we watched as a kid. My favorite show was ‘Star Wars: Clone Wars’ which was inspired by my parents’ love of ‘Star Wars.’ Childhood shows now aren’t nearly as similar to what I watched as a kid. They’re very unoriginal and more cheesy.”
Childhood shows have adapted drastically through the years and have also greatly impacted the kids that watch them. The next time you turn on the T.V., think about the extreme changes that your favorite childhood TV show went through and how today things are a little bit more different.
