Recent news that Sky is pulling back from commissioning new children’s TV content, alongside drastic cuts to public broadcasting funding in the US, raises real concerns for the wellbeing of the next generation. At a time when children’s screen time is often painted as a problem, it’s ironic, and deeply worrying, that some of the highest-quality, most educational content is becoming harder to find and fund.
Of course, it’s right that we question how much time children spend in front of screens. But the more important question is what they’re watching, and why it matters.
Children’s television has the power to inform, inspire and connect. For many families, especially those who may not have access to enrichment opportunities like museums, extracurricular activities or travel, a well-made children’s programme can be a gateway to new ideas, cultures, and aspirations.
The best content does more than entertain. It helps children understand their emotions, navigate friendships, build resilience, and make sense of the world around them. Programmes like Bluey, Numberblocks or Sesame Street (whose funding has also faced uncertainty in the US) are not just “screen time”, they’re learning time, bonding time, and sometimes even therapy time for little ones and their carers.
When investment in public service or independently produced children’s content dries up, it’s not just the creators who suffer. It’s the children, especially those in underserved communities, who lose access to safe, developmentally appropriate storytelling. And it’s society as a whole that loses a vital tool for promoting empathy, inclusion, and positive values from an early age.
If public or mission-led broadcasters reduce their children’s output, the vacuum is often filled by commercial platforms driven by advertising, merchandise sales, or algorithmic popularity. That’s not inherently bad, but it can lead to content that prioritises clicks over quality, and fast-paced stimulation over meaningful engagement.
We risk creating a landscape where children are either passive consumers or targets for commercialisation, rather than active participants in media that supports their development.
While it may feel like a bleak time for children’s content, there are still many excellent options if you know where to look.
For content creators, these funding cuts are not just a threat but a challenge: how do we prove the value of children’s content in a competitive, adult-focused market?
Here are three areas where innovation and advocacy can help:
The toy industry has embraced the idea of a “play diet” that includes both digital and physical play. The media sector needs to do the same—recognising that screen-based play, when done well, can be an enriching part of a child’s daily experience. But without investment in quality, it becomes empty calories at best and harmful content at worst.
In uncertain times, it’s tempting to see children’s content as a luxury. But it is, in fact, an investment – one that pays dividends in the form of happier, healthier, more thoughtful future citizens. As parents, educators, producers and policymakers, we all have a role to play in protecting and championing it.
Because when we stop telling our children good stories, we risk leaving them to write their own in a world that doesn’t care if they’re kind, truthful or safe.
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