Kids Watching TV: How Children’s Media Has Changed

I don’t think I realized how different children’s television is now until I started thinking about what I watched as a kid. PBS Kids, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network were all part of my childhood. I used to run home so I wouldn’t miss a show, and I remember looking forward to what would be on the next day. There was something familiar about knowing what was coming on after school and talking about the same characters with friends the next day.

Kids today are still watching plenty of videos, but the way they watch them looks completely different. Instead of waiting for a specific show at a specific time, a child can open an app or streaming service and find something almost instantly. I’ve noticed this with my younger cousins. Even though they have access to more shows than I ever did, they don’t seem as interested in sitting down to watch a television show. They’re much more likely to be playing a video game, watching YouTube, or scrolling through short-form videos like TikTok. Streaming has made watching almost anything incredibly easy, but having more options doesn’t necessarily mean kids are watching more traditional television.

That shift has real upsides. Streaming has made it easier for kids to find educational programs and explore interests that might never have made it onto a traditional TV schedule, the way PBS Kids programs are now available through apps, connected TVs, and YouTube, not just local stations. At the same time, I wonder what gets lost when watching becomes so personalized. Growing up, plenty of shows were common ground simply because they were part of the same schedule everyone else had, and you could ask someone at school if they’d seen the latest episode or recognize a reference because most kids had seen the same handful of programs. Now, two kids can spend the same afternoon watching videos and come away with completely different experiences, one on an educational show, another on a game, a third on short clips, as algorithms learn what someone likes and keep recommending more of it. That makes it easier to find things we enjoy, but it also means our media experiences can drift further apart. Shared media used to create a common reference point. Personalized media gives everyone more choices, but fewer things we all experience together.

None of this means kids should go back to watching the same handful of channels. There’s real value in having more choices and being able to find content that reflects their different interests. But it’s worth paying attention to what changes as media becomes more and more individualized. Kids are still watching. What’s changed is what they’re watching, how they’re finding it, and whether the media they consume is still giving them a chance to see a world that’s beyond their own.