I’ve been saying this for a while now, but here’s the real issue: Nickelodeon, Disney, and Cartoon Network ditched actual kids ages ago. They’re too busy pumping out Cal-Arts slop for man-children, and Twitter and Reddit just slurp it up because “muh representation” and “muh adult themes.”
Kids are the ones stuck with shows that try to cater to both them and adults, only to fumble the part meant for them because the man-children dominate social media with their loud whining.
Take The Owl House—TV Tropes, Reddit, and Twitter stan it hard, but it’s a poor man’s Little Witch Academia with less charm and way more pandering. Sure, it’s got some magic and adventures that might catch a kid’s eye, but then it piles on sappy romance and preachy politics that only left-leaning adults are cheering for. Kids don’t care about that—they want fun, not lectures. These networks have been neglecting the under-14 crowd for years, and it shows.
Even Adventure Time, which everybody loves, started chasing the college-age crew in its last seasons, leaving the kids in the dust. And Fionna and Cake? That’s straight-up late-20s bait—a main character griping about her barista gig. (Totally relatable to 12-year-old kids.) It’s not just that show, either; every network’s chasing that nostalgia cash now, recycling tired old vibes for adults who can’t move on, instead of cooking up something fresh for the next generation.
Is it any surprise kids are turning to the internet for their entertainment now?