Abstract
This paper addresses the research question of how often and in what way older characters are being represented in children’s television. This genre provides children with symbolic imagery of older adults and co-constructs cultural meaning around age and ageing in general. A quantitative content analysis of 621 episodes (82 hours) was conducted. For this specific study, eight content providers were selected: three local Flemish broadcasters (Ketnet, Studio 100 Television, VTMKIDS), three transnational players (Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel) and two streaming services (Netflix, Disney+). The programs were recorded during August 2022, October 2022, and March 2023 to account for distinct programming waves. Firstly older characters were underrepresented and often portrayed in minor roles. Secondly, they were often represented in a non-diverse way, as characters were predominantly white, male, and able-bodied. Sexuality was either absent (meaning most older characters were not portrayed in romantic relationships) or characters were shown in heterosexual relationships, again reinforcing a unidimensional image. Lastly, the connotation associated with older characters was mostly positive, and most older characters were portrayed as having active everyday lives. A comparison among the different content providers revealed few distinctions in the representation of older characters. Notably, public broadcaster Ketnet and the streaming services fell short in their inclusivity efforts, despite governmental mandates or their self-identification as ‘progressive players’ in the media landscape. This research provides a clear exploration of the representation of older characters in children’s television and will be further elaborated in qualitative follow-up studies.
Presenters
Linde BossuytTeaching Assistant and Doctoral Researcher at CIMS (Center for Cinema and Media Studies), Communication Sciences, University of Ghent, Oost-Vlaanderen (nl), Belgium
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Social and Cultural Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Quantitative Content Analysis, Representation, Children's Television, Older Characters
