For a long time, parents could think about kids’ media in fairly simple categories. Netflix was streaming. YouTube was YouTube. Social media was social media. Those lines are disappearing. Netflix has been steadily bringing established YouTube creators onto its platform, including Ms. Rachel, Mark Rober, Danny Go!, Salish and Jordan Matter, the Sidemen, and others. And this isn't a small experiment. Creator-led programming, particularly children's and family content, is perfo

TV-Y. TV-Y7. TV-G. PG. We've been using some version of these labels for decades. And as a parent, I've realized something: They answer a question I'm rarely actually asking. When I'm deciding whether my child should watch a show, I'm not just wondering: "Is this technically appropriate for their age?" I want to know: Is it scary? Is it loud, fast-paced, or highly stimulating? Are the characters constantly yelling at each other? Is there bullying? Does it model behavior I'm g

"What do you want to watch?" It sounds like a simple question. Then comes the scrolling. Not that one. Keep going. Maybe that one. No. Back up. Wait... what was that show? Five minutes later, nothing has actually been watched, everyone is getting frustrated, and somehow choosing a 22-minute cartoon has become an event. We've been taught to think that more choice is better. More shows. More recommendations. More personalized rows. More things our kids might like. But I'm start