In the United States, the longest-running children’s television program is Sesame Street. It was the first children's television show to use educational goals and a curriculum to shape its content, but in the 55 years since its premiere, the show remains the exception and not the rule. 

While not every show can be Sesame Street, a new report authored by Sherri Hope Culver outlines the guidelines that children’s media creators should consider when producing content. 

“As a society, we always say how children are our future, and we want to do right by them, yet we create children’s media all the time that we know is not the best for kids,” said Culver, a professor of instruction in Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication and the director of the Center for Media and Information Literacy (CMIL). “This new report is meant to inspire us to aim to be better. And of course, to do that, we also need to examine why we don’t aim for high quality already.” 

Culver is the author of “The Quality Question: Why Children’s Media Must Aim High,” a new scholarly report that was recently published by the CMIL. The report provides a thorough overview of 15 specific guidelines that serve as recommendations for global children’s media leaders as they work to create all types of media, from television to podcasts to video games.  

Culver, who has hosted and produced the podcast series Kids Talk Media since 2019, conducted the research during the fall of 2022 after being named one of 16 Fulbright global scholars. In putting together the report, Culver conducted research in England, Brazil and Australia where she interviewed 80 media executives, television producers and academic thought leaders, to help inform these new guidelines. 

Culver believes these guidelines are especially important given the influence media consumption has on children; they come at a time when the rise of streaming platforms has made more content available for children and parents than ever before. 

“Other than family, what is the biggest influence in a child’s life? The thing that they probably spend the most time with is media,” said Culver, who also directs the Klein College’s certificate in children's media. “Media is one of the most persuasive elements in children’s lives.  Educators and researchers used to focus on screen time when researching children, but now, media is seen as a constant in their lives. It is almost impossible to have no media in your life." 

The first guideline outlined by Culver in the new report is to “lead with play and playfulness.”  

“The bottom line is that the driving force in kids’ lives is play and fun, and we want the media to convey that,” Culver said. “Even if we’re trying to bring important educational messages to their lives, play must be first.” 

Some of the other guidelines outlined by Culver include “support cultural identity,” “cultivate an appreciation for diversity and difference,” “convey empathy for others,” and “let it be a little gritty, a little naughty.” 

Within the report, Culver also emphasizes that all television programming is educational, even if it does not inherently seem to be so. It is a concept that was first introduced by Sesame Workshop co-founder Joan Ganz Cooney. 

“Programming might be formally educational like Sesame Street, but even if children are watching something like Spidey and His Amazing Friends, they are still learning about conflict resolution and what it means to be challenged. All that messaging is in there, as well,” Culver said. “So, for parents, there are opportunities to have productive conversations about the positive messages that come from shows that you might not think have educational value.” 

The release of the new report comes at an opportune time. Streaming services have focused more and more time and resources on creating children’s content, as it’s in their best financial interest to do so. Culver’s findings can be key in helping to guide companies in producing quality media content for children while also protecting the company’s bottom line.  

“Kid’s content is one of the greatest drivers of retaining subscribers. If you have a child who wants to watch Sesame Street, it doesn’t matter that it’s $15 a month to subscribe to Max. You’re going to keep paying for it because your child wants to watch it,” Culver said. “From a financial standpoint, children’s content is big business. It has merchandise attached to it. For instance, think of a successful show like The Big Bang Theory. You won’t be selling much merchandise from that aside from T-shirts. But if you’re Bluey, the merchandising is an integral part of its financial success.” 

For more information on Culver’s new report, visit this dedicated website where the report can also be downloaded in its entirety.