People around my age will never know a time without ESPN or MTV. Kids today will never know a time without Netflix and Amazon. Netflix and Amazon wants to keep it that way.
According to Common Sense Media, 75% of children under age 9 has access to a smartphone. And it’s obvious how tech savvy tweens and teens are. Netflix alone makes up for a third of online traffic during peak times in North America. This sounds like a potential match made in heaven. In fact, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, You Tube and other streaming services are slowly but surely taking over traditional family TV. Maybe that’s why Amazon came out with a show like Gortimer, the story of a 13-year-old and his fantasy adventures. This adventure/comedy show is a hit with critics and fans alike, especially with child fans. Plus, kids who grow up on streaming have more control over devices than we did over the TV. This new medium of children’s TV is making a new generation of TV producers and actors like Luke Matheny, director of Gortimer and 14-year-old Morgan Siegel, who plays Gortimer. And these aren’t your second rate shows. Many say Gortimer and other streaming children’s TV rivals anything found on Nickelodeon or Disney.
This shouldn’t surprise anybody. When you look at how Orange is the New Black and House of Cards is taking TV by storm, it was only a matter of time. There’s a lot on TV today I wouldn’t recommend to any child. The days of Saturday morning cartoons and prime time family hour are long gone. I don’t see them ever coming back. Thank goodness for streaming services like You Tube Kids and Netflix and Amazon filling in the gap, and keeping kids innocent. Would you rather have your kids go to a safe streaming environment, or take a chance with the TV screen?