discussion Should kids' shows depict romance/having a crush between kids?

[BrentB]

It's been said that kids don't need to be focused on "adult" topics like being LGBT, however do you agree that kids then shouldn't be exposed to themes that are as adultifying as romance & having strong feelings of love for another person (outside of familial & platonic love)? I mean they're only kids and the only thing they're focused on are playing & having fun . 

Edited October 22, 2023 by BrentB

[Apolonio ₃₄]

No that’s stupid. We wouldn’t have classics if that was the case. 
 

[lillavend3r]

Lol do humans start dating after they turn 18? What is this 60 year old conservative take 

[poki]

If I was able to see a Pixar movie about gay love when I was little, it would have helped A LOT with my self-love growing up. 

[byzantium]

Well what do we mean by “kids”?  
 

Teenagers should absolutely have media that explores the topic of relationships and romance.  
 

I don’t think media for 0-4 year olds needs to explore relationship topics beyond surface level.   Like I don’t think Dora the Explorer needs to really discuss the nuances of romantic attraction with Diego and how to pursue a romantic relationship.  But if a character on TV is married, that is fine to mention.  
 

In-between that it is all a spectrum.  

Edited October 21, 2023 by byzantium

[Sheep]

No I don't agree. 

[Cheers]

I disagree. Crushing is part of being a kid.

[byzantium]

Also, I personally think children should not be exposed to heterosexuals in media until they hit the age of 16.  There are just a lot of really toxic and harmful institutions involved in the dynamics of heterosexuality that I think can be harmful for children.  

[BOOMBAYAH]

Whenever topics like this come up, I always feel as though we've shifted realities. I remember learning about WW1/WW2 in lower school, having my first sex ed class in middle school, and being taught about different sexualities and queer people in high school.

 

Exposure to themes like war, sexuality, morality, etc., both in school and in the shows I watched (less so queer sexuality, as it was slightly taboo back then, to be honest) felt normal. I perceive this recent policing as moral panic because it doesn't make sense when you think about it. For instance, I was having genuine "I want to sit with them and be their partner in every lesson" level crushes on boys in lower school. I wanted to be with them all the time, not just thinking "that boy is cute." How amazing would it have been if there was a Disney show with a gay couple I could’ve watched to see this was normal and not something to be confused at?
 

Shows and schooling should aim to prepare and educate young people for the real world as they grow older, and I believe that having more queer shows as a kid would have been immensely helpful.

[Mr. Mendes]

I mean I don’t think shows aimed at pre-schoolers would really benefit from stories concerning relationships but there are no shows for that age category that do tell those stories to even cite? Shows for slightly older kids and pre-teens though are free to.

 

I mean kids start getting crushes around 6 and 7 maybe even younger so I don’t think it’s wrong to have shows where the characters have crushes. And shows that attract even a little older than that like 9 and 10 year olds all the way to pre-teens and teens, they’re well aware what dating is by then and I don’t see an issue with it. 

 

Shows like Fairly OddParents or Phineas and Ferb, shows that attracted a younger audience, featured the concepts of crushes and dating and I don’t think it did any sort of damage to the kids watching those shows? Its just a fact of life. Kids are aware of a lot more than adults give them credit for, it’s not like younger kids don’t understand the concept of people liking each other. 

Edited October 21, 2023 by Mr. Mendes

[poki]

We NEED sex/love/romance education. 

 

GTA San Andreas taught me what safe sex is (I'm serious) and while I've never had sex, that knowledge definitely is useful if I were to develop a sexual relarionship with someone. 

 

Also, Sonic had a short segment on TV once about sexual harassment (flat out talked about what to do if an adult touched you in a way that felt uncomfortable) which definitely stuck with me as well. 

 

And Madonna's music video for Take A Bow was ingrained in my mind when I was little (it's about abusive relationships). Madonna showed me the horrors of domestic violence.

[ultraviolence.xx]

14 minutes ago, byzantium said:

Like I don’t think Dora the Explorer needs to really discuss the nuances of romantic attraction with Diego and how to pursue a romantic relationship.

well, they're related, so i would hope not lkzhdlfkjsdh

[X~MoviePoP]

Yall still acting like kids dont experience these things in real life.

 

I was 7 tryna figure out body parts with my male neighbor. We did things and experimented and at the same time id have crushes at school and on teachers. 

[byzantium]

9 minutes ago, ultraviolence.xx said:

well, they're related, so i would hope not lkzhdlfkjsdh

Oh lol.  I don’t watch the show. 

[Robert]

This just feels like another type of conservatism. We don't need to hide the world from children and treat them like they are stupid. TV can be a great way to teach them about important issues. 

[BrentB]

Lol so If anyone didn't get the OP as being just satirical, let me just state b4 some dense MF decides this is report-worthy 

 

But yeah, these are the same points peddled at "libtards" for having a young gay character in a kids show. "SeXuAlItY iS NoT fOr KiDs " So either we're gonna explore ALL themes of love/crushes in kids show or none at all is where I'm at tbh. Just thought maybe we could further discuss the nuances & maybe give some of us some ammo next time some brain-dead right winger wants to talk slick .

Edited October 21, 2023 by BrentB

[DamianSolo]

Innocently, yes. They should be aware of what's happening and know that it's normal to have a crush. I remember being in kindergarten and having a little crush myself. It's part of healthy development for a child to be able to witness and understand that.

 

Conservatives don't need to be in control of virtually anything. You'd have nothing but basic, growth-stunted and developmentally challenged people walking around not understanding anything about life.

[Smarticle]

Didn't you grow up with lots of Disney movies with straight romances and still end up gay?

 

[John Slayne]

i had a girlfriend in pre-school but obviously we were just copying whatever straight adults around us were doing  i don't think it's harmful to see, but i do think it is important to have honest conversations that are age appropriate with children. pre-schoolers are already exposed to their parents being together (in most cases, and even if not they have some understanding of two adults that are raising them) so i think telling them that sometimes people form romantic relationships is fine. as the grow up and they get more understanding you can then start introducing them to consent, safe sex, pleasure, etc. 

 

that said, i do cringe when adults automatically assume their child is straight and that their friend of the opposite sex is their 'boyfriend/girlfriend', and i think younger children sometimes just act on this because they want to copy/please adults around them (see: me having a 'girlfriend' in preschool).

 

i think a lot of media would actually benefit from not having romance in them... like how many tv shows and films have we seen where the (almost always straight) romantic subplot is just completely unnecessary and adds nothing to the point of the story? 

[Bussea]

21 hours ago, Hey Dude said:

We NEED sex/love/romance education. 

 

GTA San Andreas taught me what safe sex is (I'm serious) and while I've never had sex, that knowledge definitely is useful if I were to develop a sexual relarionship with someone. 

 

Also, Sonic had a short segment on TV once about sexual harassment (flat out talked about what to do if an adult touched you in a way that felt uncomfortable) which definitely stuck with me as well. 

 

And Madonna's music video for Take A Bow was ingrained in my mind when I was little (it's about abusive relationships). Madonna showed me the horrors of domestic violence.

we can change that