Shows like Vampire Diaries: teen-friendly fantasy & parental tips

Do you enjoy watching The Vampire Diaries? If yes, you are not alone, as several teens share similar obsessions. This is primarily because Vampire Diaries capture the audience’s attention with a mix of fantasy, drama, adventure, and excitingly blend core human relatable problems. But not every show is suitable for everyone.  

That is why, in this article, we will look at the age and content rating of Vampire Diaries and also propose 10 other shows like Vampire Diaries. Also, we will provide some insightful recommendations for parents on how to effectively safeguard their children online. So, keep reading!

Why is Vampire Diaries so popular among teens and young adults?

The Vampire Diaries is a TV show that is quite popular among the young generation because it contains romance, mystery, and fantasy all together. However, as a parent, knowing why teens and kids are watching offers insight into their thinking and will help in making better decisions.

• A magical world of adventure:  Vampires, witches and werewolves all appear in The Vampire Diaries. This combines mystique with unparalleled action to form a fantasy-rich land. Also, the adventurous aspects of supernatural life help quench one’s curiosity and keep them eager for the next series.  

• Relatable characters and emotions: In addition, while the characters have been bestowed with a plethora of supernatural powers, it is not to say that their emotions are not relatable. We see them fall in love, suffer grief, make friends, and face challenging decisions—essentially parts of life one can relate to.

• Peak drama and romance: Furthermore, the show features heartbreaking storylines, love conflicts like love triangles, shocking connections, and emotional turns, all of which heighten engagement. Thus, each episode maintains engagement and builds intrigue using mystery elements.  

• Endless surprises and twists: Moreover, the central reason for the show’s ongoing popularity is the plot unpredictability. You would think that you have figured out he storyline, but at the very next episode, some twists are waiting for you. Actually, such twists strengthen the foundation of the show’s everlasting charm.  

In sum, The Vampire Diaries has retained its appeal primarily because it offers diverse elements of fiction and emotion, as well as socialising, which keeps viewers returning for more.

Are Vampire Diaries suitable for teens? (Content guide for parents)

If you’re a parent and contemplating whether the Vampire Diaries show is appropriate for your children or not, then you are correct to be concerned because it is your obligation to verify the age rating prior to permitting children to view any show.

Well! Remember that the age rating of Vamoire Diaries is TV-14 – 14, which indicates that it is meant for 14 years and older. As you start following the series, right from the beginning, you are bound to see lots of fantasy in witches, vampires and werewolves. Because of this, some parts of it are violent, bloody, and terrifying. Further, it contains romance and kisses, strong emotional expressions which younger viewers may find troubling.  Also, the characters appear to be partying in some episodes, which include alcohol consumption accompanied by mild swearing.

To summarise, the choice is up to you based on how your child’s habits have been shaped around these factors. If your teen can distinguish between fiction and reality and is not easily frightened, they will most likely enjoy the show. This is why it would be best to pre-screen the episodes and discuss them with your teen before watching them together.

10 best shows like Vampire Diaries & parental guide to content

If you enjoy watching Vampire Diaries, then you might now want to look for new series containing a mix of friendship, magic, and mysteries. No worries! You have come to the right spot. Here, we have compiled a list of ten fantastic shows like Vampire Diaries, with notes about their content to help you decide whether they are suitable for your teenagers.  

The Originals

 The Originals is a sister series to The Vampire Diaries, and so it falls very much in the same range. It tells the story of the Mikaelsons, the first vampire family and their journey back to New Orleans. Here, they conflict with witches, werewolves, and even other vampires to defend their family and home. The tale is full of action, emotion, and life in its core.  

• Age rating: TV-14 ( Suitable for kids aged 14 and above)  
• Content: Supernatural violence, emotional relationships, and some romance.

Legacies

Among shows like Vampire Diaries, this show continues the story of The Originals and focuses on Hope Mikaelson, who appears to be a normal teenage girl but comes from a unique family tree that includes a vampire father and a werewolf mother. She goes to a special school that centres on perfecting the skills of the children of the most powerful witches, vampires,a nd werewolves.  

Each episode captures magic, collaboration between different groups, and the struggles of growing up. It has retained the excitement of the first two series with a bit of lightheartedness woven into them.  

• Age rating: TV-14  ( Suitable for kids aged 14 and above)  
• Content: Soft romance, fantasy action, and a mixture of different emotions.  

Buffy The Vampire Slayer  

The show focuses on a young girl who fights off monsters and vampires and is considered a classic. Buffy tries to live a normal life, but her life is turned upside down when she is thrust into the role of a chosen one.

With some friends, she turns life-threatening challenges that require attending school, crushing on boys, and anything annoying into a routine. The blend of fear with laughter is executed beautifully, and the highlighted messages on bravery make it remarkable.  

• Age rating: TV – 14 ( Suitable for kids aged 14 and above)   
• Content: Monster slaying, various frightening things, and some romantic parts.

Teen Wolf

In this series, you will encounter Scott, an ordinary high school student and later, a werewolf after a bite he receives while in the woods. With his transformation comes new abilities, including having to protect his loved ones, battling enemies, and fighting new conflicts, alongside the journey of self-discovery.

As the story progresses, things become more complex, escalating with each passing season. It’s an emotional and relentless thrill ride filled with action and drama.   

• Age rating: TV-14  ( Suitable for kids aged 14 and above)  
• Content: Romance, intense emotions, acts of violence, and terrifying creatures.  

Riverdale  

In start, you will find Riverdale as the most beautiful small town. However, the story is totally opposite. Riverdale hosts a teenage group made up of Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead, who help navigate through crime, betrayal, and deception, alongside an array of dark, untold secrets.

Unlike The Vampire Diaries, Riverdale is set in our world (not the fantasy world) and revolves on mystery paired with heightened drama.  

• Age rating: TV-14 ( Suitable for kids aged 14 and above)    
• Content: Minor acts of violence, adolescent drama, and romance.  

True Blood

An intriguing series that tells a story about a world where humans and supernatural beings co-exist. These vampires actually drink synthetic blood product called “True Blood.” The series follows kind-hearted waitress Sookie, who possesses the supernatural ability of mind-reading.

She becomes entangled in the universe of vampires and werewolves, where she encounters some other perilous creatures. It is a more sombre story with some adult themes intended for mature audiences.

• Age rating: TV-MA ( Suitable for mature audiences only, like 18+)
• Content: Romance, profanity, and violence, thus unsuitable for young adolescents.

Supernatural

The story revolves around Sam and Dean’s adventures as they hunt ghosts, demons and other supernatural beings. While the brothers fight numerous evil forces trying to assist and protect people, they deal with family problems and immense personal loss in their deep, turbulent struggles. Their emotional bond, paired with the often-exciting storie,s makes this series sympathetic.  

• Age rating: TV-14 ( Suitable for kids aged 14 and above)  
• Content: Scary violence depicting creatures, intense emotional expression within the shadowy worlds.  

Supernatural

The story revolves around Sam and Dean’s adventures as they hunt ghosts, demons and other supernatural beings. While the brothers fight numerous evil forces trying to assist and protect people, they deal with family problems and immense personal loss in their deep, turbulent struggles. Their emotional bond, paired with the often-exciting storie,s makes this series sympathetic.  

• Age rating: TV-14 ( Suitable for kids aged 14 and above)  
• Content: Scary violence depicting creatures, intense emotional expression within the shadowy worlds.  

Shadowhunters

In this TV show, you will meet Clary who comes to view herself as an ordinary girl until she recognises herself as a Shadowhunter. It indeed means a protector of humans against demonic damage. Clary trains to fight evil alongside others like her. Clary uncovers many secrets that force her to alter prominent decisions for herself to make profound choices. Her journey is filled with magic, friendships, and a swift narrative pace.  

• Age rating: TV-14 ( Suitable for kids aged 14 and above)  
• Content: Light romance, heavy elements of magic battling, and dramatic emotional strife.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

This show revises and darkens the original ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ sitcom. Sabrina is, in fact, an anthropoid, a half-witch and half-human. On her sixteenth birthday, she must pick one side. The show contains an incredible amount of magic, sorcery, bold moves, and, of course, complicated decisions, all served with a dash of chaos. It is uniquely audacious, bold, with a mix of dark coming-of-age tales.

• Age rating: TV-MA ( Suitable for mature audiences only like, 18+)
• Content: Witchcraft, horror, darkness, and themes unsuited for the sight of younger humans.

Pretty Little Liars

This series follows a storyline where a girl, Alison, goes missing, and four of her friends start receiving peculiar texts from an unidentified number that refers to itself as “A.” This person seems to be stalking them and knows all their secrets. The series blends, twinkles, friendship, and mystery with so many surprising twists. No other shows offer magic like The Vampire Diaries, however, it serves ample amounts of shocking suspense and teenage drama.

• Age rating: TV-14 ( Suitable for kids aged 14 and above)  
• Content: Secrets and emotions, breezy love stories and heartfelt relationships.  

How can parents ensure safe viewing for teens?

Today, children and teenagers prefer watching movies and television series for leisure. As discussed earlier, not every show is appropriate for every single child. Moreover, some problems arise due to too much time spent on the screen. That’s why we have compiled some strategies to protect your children while they are on the internet.

Tip 1. Set Clear Screen Time Limits

There needs to be strict rules set for adolescents regarding how long they can watch their favourite shows on television or on their devices. This is because excessive screen time may lead to many problems with mental health, straining of productivity, and loss of interest in sports and exercise. Hence, making sure to have limits on screen time gives a better standing to the overall life quality.

Tip 2. Importance of co-watching and discussing sensitive topics

Moreover, its best to watch TV shows with your kids, its called co-watching. It enables parents to clar​if​y specific portions that may be perplexing or overly graphic. When parents co-view with teens, they get an opportunity to discuss hard issues and respond to concerns which helps teens to grasp the narrative with its moral better.

Tip 3. Teaching teens critical thinking about media influences

In addition, parents should support and motivate teenagers to analyse deeply the things that they view. Tell them that the things being displayed on the screen is not the exact representation of reality.

Television shows purposely inject a lot of entertainment value. Teaching them how to critique and evaluate the material helps them recognise the line between imagination and real life, which safeguards them from negative impacts.

Tip 4. Using a parental control tool

Lastly, you should also deploy third-party parental control tools for monitoring your kid’s online activities. If you want some advanced and 100% reliable monitoring of your kids, then FlashGet Kids is what you are looking for.  FlashGet Kids offers a complete set of tools that enable parents to monitor and manage their children’s digital activities with ease.

• Live Monitoring: With this feature, you can check your child’s device activities by monitoring their screen, camera, and audio in real-time. This feature allows you to ensure their safety and the appropriate usage of the device.

• Screen Mirroring: Check and monitor the activities of your children through their devices by mirroring their screens in real-time.

• Notifications Tracker: Track your child’s activities and interactions to ensure their safety by receiving synced notifications from their devices, including alerts from social media. This will help in identifying cases of cyberbullying or online scams.

• Screen Time: Set personalised schedules to restrict specific device usage during non-productive hours. This encourages studying or family interactions.

• App Blocker: Choose specific apps and block them completely, or limit time usage to control what your child engages with electronically. This ensures that they interact with content that is appropriate for their age.

Final words

Shows like The Vampire Diaries gain a lot of popularity because they depict thrilling stories that a lot of teenagers relate to. Nevertheless, it is crucial that you are careful about how and what you choose to watch. Equally, parents should stay actively engaged in their teens’ media consumption. Thus, it helps teenagers to use these shows as a source of entertainment in safe ways. Remember, exercising caution helps you balance fun with safety every day. 

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