Is Stranger Things ok for kids: What parents should know

Stranger Things, undoubtedly one of the most viewed series on Netflix, is a nostalgic thrill ride, featuring a small band of kids searching for their missing friend. Their adventure leads them to the remnants of a secret government experiment battling bone-chilling monsters from a shadowy parallel world. The show’s nostalgic 1980s background, lovable characters, and supernatural thrills translate into a cultural phenomenon as a show that appeals to all ages. 

However, with one of horror, suspense, and occasional mature themes, caregivers have to wonder if the series is appropriate for younger viewers. By knowing the content, age limit words, and the potential impact, parents are able to make an informed choice about what they cannot let their children delve into.

What is Stranger Things about?

Taking place in the early 1980s at the moment of its action, Stranger Things is science fiction, horror, and coming-of-age drama set in the fictional Indiana town of Hawkins. The story starts when a young boy, Will Byers, disappears in a strange manner. Mike, Dustin, and Lucas set out to find him, but meet a girl with telekinetic powers calling herself Eleven. This girl has escaped from a secretive government lab and knows too much about the dark dimension called the Upside Down, where terrifying creatures prowl.

Spanning four seasons, viewers are presented with two parallel storylines. Kids fighting otherworldly monsters, parents, and local law enforcement are trying to piece together the strange happenings. Additionally, teens are learning how to navigate blossoming friendships, first loves, and the stresses of their family life. Each season ramps up the intensity.

Stranger Things receives high praise from both critics and fans alike for its awesome ensemble cast, featuring David Harbour and Winona Ryder. It is a tribute to Spielberg and Stephen King, but can intricately mix the character-driven drama with the edge-of-your-seat suspense.

With its success, this has spawned multiple vast merchandise lines, themed pop-up events, and even immersive escape rooms. The outcome is a global fan community that tortures, debates theories, quotes its memorable lines and revels in the show’s 1980s look. The darker corners behind the excitement make the story in Hawkins inappropriate for kids unless accompanied by parents.

Who is the target audience of Stranger Things?

The target audience of Stranger Things is primarily teens and young adults. It is basically for people who enjoy supernatural mystery, 80s nostalgia, and character drama. Friends or family draw in some in the hopes of appealing to younger viewers with the friendships and humor, but the intensity usually runs along that of adolescent and adult tastes.

What is the age rating for Stranger Things?

The TV-14 rating of Stranger Things from Common Sense Media is due to moderate violence, not to mention there are frequent scary scenes and strong language. It results in a bit of complicated debate about whether Stranger Things is ok for kids. According to IMDb, the violence, gore, and frightening content are all rated average or above moderate for violence, suggesting that younger viewers should be careful.

Parental concerns and reviews

Often, parents express concern over the show’s intensity, with monster attacks, blood, and gore, and the show’s profanity. Some caregivers cope with the first season when their early teen is dealing with heavier themes and more graphic scenes. Some point to the positive messages of friendship, loyalty and resilience in the show as something that less raw and mature preteens can discuss thoughtfully.

While some caregivers appreciate the initial season’s balance, others are concerned about later seasons’ intensity. The escalation of darker themes and more graphic visuals in subsequent seasons often prompts families to pre-screen episodes or delay viewing until their children are older.

What makes Stranger Things inappropriate for little kids?

Though wrapped in lovable characters and ’80s charm, Stranger Things contains elements that can overwhelm younger children:

• From blood-spattered laboratories to monster maulings, the series depicts moderate to graphic violence. Season four features especially gory transformations: bodies exploding into flesh and bone that can haunt sensitive viewers.

• Sinister creatures like Demogorgons and Mind Flayer-spawned monsters emerge from a shadowy realm to kill or torture humans. Dark corridors, sudden jump scares, and ominous music build relentless suspense that may cause nightmares or anxiety.

• Characters including children occasionally use strong language (e.g., “shit,” “asshole,” “bitch”). While not pervasive, such language can upset parents who wish to shield young children from adult speech.

• Underlying subplots involve experiments on children, abduction, and emotional trauma. Season four’s depictions of bullying, broken families, and a bloody school massacre scene may strike too close to real-world fears for little ones.

• The show’s layered mythology, alternate dimensions, government conspiracies, and time jumps can confuse early elementary viewers who lack the cognitive strategies to follow intricate plots.

For most older children, these elements are presented as thrilling fantasy, and they interpret them in terms of heroism and humor. These may or may not result in younger ones internalizing the fear, experiencing distress with scary scenes, or defining symbolic violence as real, which makes Stranger Things for kids appropriate to some degree. Children with no emotional skills to tolerate suspense and gore are likely to be afflicted with sleep disturbances and anxiety.

Should you let kids watch Stranger Things?

Deciding whether to introduce Stranger Things hinges on several factors:

General age recommendation

• Most guidelines suggest waiting until at least age 12 or 13, aligning with TV-14 standards and Common Sense Media’s 13+ expert rating.
• Preteens close to this threshold who demonstrate resilience to mild scares and have prior experience with adventure-mystery films or shows may handle the series better.

Child temperament

• Is your child easily frightened by monsters or suspense? Do they recover quickly from scary content, or do nightmares linger? More sensitive kids benefit from waiting or watching only under supervision.
• Children who embrace challenges and enjoy logic puzzles may appreciate the show’s problem-solving aspects, making the occasional scare an exciting ride rather than a traumatic ordeal.

Child’s maturity level

• Past exposure to PG-13 action films, scary cartoons, or mild horror suggests better preparedness.
• Familiarity with fantasy violence, like dragons or video-game battles, can build coping mechanisms for the upside-down’s horrors.

Prior media exposure

• Kids who have watched adventure-mystery series (e.g., Gravity Falls, Scooby-Doo) may find Stranger Things a natural next step.
• Those whose media diet is limited to gentle cartoons might feel overwhelmed by sudden jump scares and blood.

Season-by-season approach

• The intensity escalates with each season. Sampling season one first allows parents to gauge reactions before exposing children to darker, more graphic content.
• Skipping or fast-forwarding particularly graphic scenes (e.g., Season 4’s bloodbath sequences) can tailor the viewing to what your child can handle.

Deciding whether to let kids watch Stranger Things depends on several key factors—it isn’t the same for every family. Co-viewing season one may be appropriate for mature preteens with an appetite for adventure and a track record of handling suspense as well. Younger or more sensitive children might be served better by waiting until they are in their early teens or have stronger coping skills for horror and violence.

Tips for safe viewing

Ensuring a positive viewing experience involves active parental engagement and clear guidelines:

1. Co-viewing the episode turns off the passive screen time and turns on a shared adventure. Furthermore, you can clarify any confusing plot points and address any questions your kids may have. Watching together establishes trust, allowing your child to express their fears rather than swallow them. It helps gauge what emotional response your child makes in real time.  

2. Manage how many episodes can be viewed at one sitting: perhaps one part on weeknights and two on weekends. They discourage marathon binges to lessen apprehension and cut away natural breaks to unwind when things get intense. Combining attentive co-viewing with fixed viewing slots makes a safe frame through which your child’s inquisitiveness meets its limits.

3. Following each session, start the open discussions and let any leftover tension become constructive conversation. Find out which elements felt scary or exciting, what authors inspired them, and what the group’s friendship did to help overcome challenges.

4. To complement these talks, use built-in parental controls on streaming platforms to create kid-friendly profiles, enable or disable any season access if needed, and block all mature categories altogether. Tools like FlashGet Kids allow you to schedule viewing time and review your child’s history for peace of mind. It also teaches your child healthy media habits, and if you need more granular oversight.

5. If your child is not quite ready for Stranger Things, or if your child would rather watch four family-friendly alternatives steeped in mystery and camaraderie, explore these four options. They are full of fabulous fables of wondrous bending.

Alternative shows to Stranger Things for kids:

• Avatar: The Last Airbender (TV-Y7): It follows young heroes as they master elemental bending with friendship and honor in the richly animated saga.

• Gravity Falls (TV-PG): This is a comedy with a touch of suspense about two twos who spend the summer figuring out cryptic mysteries in a quirky mountain town.

• The Mysterious Benedict Society: A charming tale with clever puzzles and a light-hearted villainy, it adapts beloved novels for TV-PG (violence and jeopardy) children on a covert mission.

• A Series of Unfortunate Events – (TV-PG-13): Dark comedic escapades feature the Baudelaire orphans at odds with a conniving guardian without graphically violent means to beat the defenseless guardian.

These alternatives deliver excitement and mystery without the graphic horror or strong language present in Stranger Things, making them perfect stepping stones toward more intense teen-rated shows.

Final words

By blending active co-viewing, structured episode limits, and open conversations about scary scenes, parents can guide kids safely through the show’s thrills while maintaining emotional comfort. In the end, parental discretion is what determines whether Stranger Things for kids is OK or not. The 13 episodes of the series provide unforgettable storytelling, endearing friendships, and a nostalgic trip back to the ’80s, but also contain moderate to severe violence, supernatural terror and occasional cursing.