Kids shows have an enduring impact on young people, but investment is down on commercial networks. It's time for the government to do more.

If you’ve turned on the radio recently, Golden, the theme song from the hit film KPop Demon Hunters would have likely blasted out of the speakers.

The animated Netflix kids film celebrating Korean pop music was released in June and has resonated with young audiences all over the world. In March, it won Oscars for the best original song for Golden as well as best animated film.

Similarly, the ABC’s animated show Bluey has become a global phenomenon, teaching kids about Australian culture and values through a family of blue heeler dogs.

The staggering rise of these onscreen juggernauts demonstrates the popularity and potential for media designed specifically for kids.

Yet there’s been a significant decline in the production of children’s content for commercial TV networks in Australia in recent years. It comes at the same time as the unstoppable rise in social media.

As a result, most Australian children are consuming meaningless content perpetuated by algorithms that damage attention spans and cognitive ability, and shove advertisements down their throats.

The government has recognised the potential harms of social media platforms for young people and, in December, Australia became the first country to implement a social media ban for those under 16. The ban is said to have extinguished 4.7 million accounts and is reportedly having positive impacts on in-person social interactions.

But with the social media ban in place and the death of tween media, where does this leave young Australians looking for entertaining and informative content?

What are kids watching?

Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology found that Australian children are mostly watching American content on streaming services, which use algorithms to recommend content.

The RMIT report highlighted the danger in this as algorithms "are often driven by corporate strategies and interests that can restrict children’s access to the available local options" and can expose children to mature content.

The report also found that Australian kids cannot easily recognise Australian shows.

This is unsurprising given that the amount spent on creating Australian children’s content for commercial television networks has dramatically declined in recent years.

In October, the Australian Communications and Media Authority reported that commercial networks collectively spent only $1.75 million on children’s drama and $1.34 million on other children’s content in 2023-24. This is disappointing when compared to the $48.52 million spent on adult drama during the same period.

That said, it’s up from $0 spent on children’s drama and less than $800,000 on other children’s content in 2022-23.

This shortfall is likely a result of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to scrap mandatory Australian children's TV quotas in 2021.

The industry has recognised this as an issue. As Matthew Deaner, chief executive of Screen Producers Australia, has said: "Both adult and kids’ drama remain at unsustainably low levels. We cannot expect Australian stories to thrive without real structural change".

Similarly the Australian Children’s Television Foundation’s chief executive Jenny Buckland told the Guardian: "That [young] audience has gone to the streaming platforms. It’s being left up to the ABC to do all the heavy lifting."

The government has acknowledged the need to produce quality children's television. In November, it was announced that the ABC would receive $50 million in additional funding to produce children's content. Then in February, it was announced that Bananas in Pyjamas will be returning to its live-action roots.

The impact of kids shows

While Australian commercial television networks may not think kids content is worth making, children’s television is about more than making money. It’s about providing young people with a sense of Australian identity.

A 2023 report by the Australian Children’s Television Cultures research group found that TV for Australian kids is important because of its relatability and because it showcases Australian stories that hold meaning even in adulthood.

The report found that adults valued the children’s shows they watched when they were young because of "the accents, locations and the people" as well as the show’s representation of "the multicultural society that Australia truly is".

Free TV Australia says this is true throughout the country: "Australians value Australian television and the vital role it plays in our democracy, our culture and our everyday lives".

For me, the Australian children’s shows I watched as a child in the 2010s still have an impact. I loved turning on the TV after school and watching both the publicly funded channels and the commercial networks.

ABC shows like Little Lunch depicted primary school kids getting up to mischief during recess or afternoon tea. It was one of the most typically Australian shows, as the characters’ accents and school uniforms brought back memories of entering the talent show or the times when your grandmother packed you a smelly lunch.

There was also Dance Academy for the older crowd, a show centered on a group of teenagers attending a Sydney ballet school.

For a show made in 2010, it had a diverse cast and covered difficult topics including eating disorders, sexuality and grief in a compelling way.

The Ten Network’s Totally Wild had charismatic hosts telling kids about Australian wildlife. It was wildly entertaining and stood out among traditional animal documentaries we watched at school.

Ten also had Scope, which was basically the Australian version of the US show Bill Nye, the Science Guy. It made science fun even for people like me who had a distaste for it.

Yet, with the exception of some of the shows produced by the Australian Children's Television Foundation, there are almost no new, high quality kids shows on commercial television now.

And as a result, children are watching content on international streaming services and social media that may not be appropriate.

Step in the right direction

There are some signs that things are changing.

The Labor government’s National Cultural Policy was meant to have Australian content quotas for streaming services established in July 2024, however they were only put into motion in November when the Communications Legislation Amendment Bill passed parliament.

But now, at least 10 per cent of streaming services’ total program expenditure for Australia — or 7.5 per cent their revenue — will need to be invested in new local drama, children's, documentary, arts and educational programs.

When this was announced Tony Burke, the federal arts minister, said in a statement: "Since their introduction in Australia, streaming services have created some extraordinary shows. This obligation will ensure that those stories — our stories — continue to be made."

This is a step in the right direction, but the government must act faster to implement these quotas and should consider reintroducing quotas for commercial broadcasters.

If more is not done to safeguard access to meaningful content for younger generations, then many children will grow up without a meaningful sense of what it means to be Australian.

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