I’m reluctant to give my children more than a teaspoon of screen time per day—and while the parents in my orbit are on the same page, many are not. Most American kids are clocking way more hours staring at black mirrors than ever before—with parents who likely assume if something is featured on the kids section of an app (like Disney+ or YouTube Kids) that it’s “safe.”
And while the shows on those platforms won’t feature f-bombs or full frontal nudity, content creators for Netflix are getting called out for sneaking a lot of very, very inappropriate subject matter (and indoctrination) into programs meant for their most vulnerable and easily manipulated audiences.
You might not be surprised to learn that the former president and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama are executive producers of programs peppering LGBTQ+ characters into shows meant for seven year-olds.
And that’s just scratching the surface. From shows meant to entertain toddlers normalizing the sexualization of children to a show purporting to teach kids about dinosaurs pushing same sex attraction and transgenderism, another theme is very clear: LGBTQ+ status is desirable and trendy—and the people who resist LGBTQ+ lifestyle choices in any way (especially family members) are cast as stereotypical villains.
So what’s a parent to do?
A few years ago I wrote about how boycotting woke corporations felt petty and inconsequential until I realized: It wasn’t about persuading them to stop—it was about restoring my dignity.
These corporations have already done the math: They know they’re big enough to alienate a large percentage of families in America and all the boycotts in the world won’t amount to a speedbump on the money train they haul in every day.
In the case of Netflix I think this is even more important: Cancelling our accounts isn’t about trying to shut them down—it’s about protecting our children from the constant drip of social engineering that malforms their worldview, erodes their trust in their parents, and is deeply harmful and confusing to them.
And let’s be honest with ourselves: Do we really think the social engineering and graphic sexual content layered in their adult programming is harmless for us to consume as well?
While mass cancellations might not be enough to get them to budge, Rep. Tim Burchett has an idea that might: Haul Netflix executives before Congress to ask them why they are pushing sexualized content on young kids.
“They need to be brought in and we need to find out what their agenda is and why they are pushing this.”
I could not agree more. In the meantime, let’s support platforms with content that actually reflects and affirms our values—or, even better, turn the TV off and send our kids outside.