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In recent years, the TV industry worldwide has begun to recognise there is a greater need for diversity and inclusion in children’s TV programmes. As with books, it is vital for children to see people, families and cultures like their own reflected in the TV shows they watch. 

This is essential not only for TV shows to retain interest and loyalty from children but, more importantly, so that children from all backgrounds and situations feel seen and heard. People of different races, genders, physical abilities, cultures, nationalities, religions, sexual orientations, and appearances need to be represented for a fully diverse and inclusive society.

Representing disability in children’s TV programmes
UK video subscription service Hopster completed a report into preschool programmes, Is TV Making your Child Prejudiced?, showed that there is a huge lack of representation for disabilities in children’s TV worldwide. The research found that 16% of children’s TV programmes included characters with disabilities. Of those, over 50% were depicted as a villain or in a “tokenistic” way. 

Representing disability in children’s TV shows is essential to promote better disability inclusion and understanding throughout the world. Clearly there is a long way to go in making children’s TV represent children with disabilities living ordinary, or extraordinary, lives alongside non-disabled characters, showing them as fully included in their communities and friendship groups.

Children and parents want greater diversity on-screen 
A recent study by YPulse revealed that 74% percent of 13–39-year-olds agreed that more TV shows/movies should star non-white actors/actresses. Of those surveyed, 85% said that TV shows/movies should make an effort to represent all races, and 80% said they wish they saw more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) people in lead roles. 

It’s not just children themselves wanting to see greater diversity in the TV shows they watch – parents are actively seeking out TV shows which include diverse characters and themes. The majority of parents are keen to raise children who are aware of people and cultures beyond their own, teaching them to be tolerant and to have an inclusive approach to people who are different from themselves.