A generation that grew up on Tom & Jerry, Shaktimaan and family-friendly adventures is watching childhood transform before its eyes. As algorithms increasingly shape what children consume, what happens to imagination, storytelling and shared cultural experiences?
“What’s your favorite cartoon?”
“What, like on YouTube?”
In a now-viral interview segment called Milk and Cookies, American football player Kerby Joseph casually asks a young boy this seemingly simple question. The boy’s blank stare — and his unfamiliarity with Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, or even the legendary Tom & Jerry — says more than words ever could.
The exchange is humorous, but it also captures a profound cultural shift. Childhood entertainment has changed dramatically in just one generation.
As an older Gen Z who grew up during the golden era of Indian television, I witnessed that world firsthand. My childhood was filled with colourful, imaginative universes delivered through Tata Sky, Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Pogo, Hungama TV, and countless Bollywood films made specifically for children and families.
I watched everything from Shaktimaan and Hindi-dubbed anime to endless reruns of Disney cartoons. I was so obsessed that I recorded episodes using our television’s new recording feature, stayed awake past bedtime to catch late-night Barbie movies, and spent hours on early YouTube searching for unaired episodes. Looking back, my enthusiasm may even have contributed to me getting my first pair of glasses at the age of six.
My younger brother, born in 2019, belongs to a completely different generation.
Despite my determined attempts to introduce him to the cartoons and movies I loved, his interests quickly gravitated elsewhere. Instead of traditional stories, he became fascinated by Skibidi Toilet videos, hyperactive clips of colourful cars plunging into ball pits, and loud gaming streamers playing Minecraft and Free Fire.
His screen experience is faster, louder and more fragmented than anything I remember. Bright colours flash constantly, videos change every few seconds, and algorithms endlessly serve more content tailored to hold attention.
The result is a completely different relationship with media.
Children have not stopped consuming entertainment. If anything, they consume more than ever before. But the nature of that entertainment has shifted — often from carefully crafted stories to algorithm-driven fragments designed primarily to maximise engagement.
The Rich Tapestry of Childhood Stories
For many children of my generation, media was more than just entertainment. It was a space where imagination flourished.
Bollywood contributed significantly through family-friendly films such as Bhootnath, Bhoot and Friends, Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii, and Toonpur Ka Superhero. These movies blended adventure, humour and fantasy while quietly introducing lessons about friendship, honesty, courage and empathy.
Their impact extended beyond the screen. They inspired playground games, family conversations, schoolyard debates and endless imaginative play. They gave children shared cultural references and stories that stayed with them long after the credits rolled.
Television played a similar role. Shows and cartoons created common experiences for an entire generation. Whether it was discussing an episode with friends at school or waiting all week for a favourite programme, storytelling brought children together in ways that feel increasingly rare today.
Bollywood’s Retreat from Children’s Cinema
Over the past decade and a half, however, that ecosystem has steadily weakened.
Bollywood has increasingly focused on large-scale action spectacles, crime dramas, romances and franchise-driven projects aimed at older audiences. These genres generally promise larger box-office returns and stronger international performance, making children’s films appear commercially risky.
The Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI), established in 1955 to promote quality cinema for young audiences, was merged with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in 2022. While the move was intended to improve efficiency, critics worried it could dilute the dedicated focus once given to children’s storytelling.
As a result, theatrical releases specifically designed for children have become increasingly rare.
Actor and filmmaker Saurabh Shukla recently observed that while childhood innocence has not disappeared, the stories and platforms designed to nurture it have become far less common.
Several factors contribute to this shift: rising ticket prices, changing viewing habits, the dominance of streaming platforms and the sheer convenience of YouTube. At a deeper level, however, the entertainment industry has increasingly prioritised content that offers faster and more predictable returns on investment.
This trend is not unique to India.
Hollywood, too, has largely moved away from the family adventure films that once defined childhood for millions — movies like Home Alone, Spy Kids, and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. While teen-focused streaming shows continue to thrive, they often focus on romance, identity and social issues, leaving relatively little space for the simple adventures, magical quests and friendship-driven stories that once occupied the space between childhood and adolescence.
When the Algorithm Becomes the Storyteller
Into that vacuum has stepped the algorithm.
Today’s children increasingly consume content through YouTube, YouTube Shorts and other recommendation-driven platforms. Rather than following a beginning, middle and end, many of these experiences are built around constant stimulation.
My brother’s generation is not lacking entertainment. In many ways, they are overwhelmed by it.
Rapid editing, bright visuals and personalised recommendations are designed to capture attention instantly and keep viewers engaged for as long as possible. The next video is always only a swipe away.
Research has increasingly raised concerns about the effects of excessive short-form content consumption, particularly among young children. Studies suggest that constant exposure to rapid-fire digital stimulation may affect attention spans, reduce patience for longer narratives and make sustained focus more difficult.
Parents across India describe similar challenges: managing screen time, navigating endless recommendation loops and trying to compete with platforms specifically designed to keep children watching.
The concern is not that technology exists. It is that algorithms are increasingly determining which stories children encounter and how they encounter them.
Reasons for Optimism
Yet this is not a story of decline alone.
Evidence suggests that children and families still crave meaningful storytelling when it is offered to them.
Animated films continue to attract audiences worldwide. Globally, films such as Inside Out 2 have demonstrated the enduring power of emotionally rich storytelling. In India, culturally rooted projects such as Mahavatar Narsimha have shown that audiences remain willing to support family-oriented stories that combine imagination, emotion and strong narratives.
These successes reveal something important: children have not lost interest in stories.
They still seek wonder, humour, adventure and emotional connection. Families still value experiences that can be shared across generations. When creators invest in compelling narratives, audiences continue to respond.
A Call to Creators
The question, then, is not whether children want good stories.
The question is whether the entertainment industry is willing to create them.
Stories that encourage imagination, empathy, curiosity and resilience are not simply a nostalgic luxury. They help shape how children understand themselves, relate to others and imagine the world around them.
If creators fail to fill that space, algorithms will happily take over the role of storyteller. The long-term consequences of that shift remain uncertain, but they deserve serious attention.
As someone who grew up chasing Tom & Jerry, watching Shaktimaan, and getting lost in Bollywood fantasies, I hope my brother’s generation gets its own version of that magic.
Not just endless streams of viral content, but stories that stay with them long after the screen goes dark.
Author Bio
Aamna Rehman is a contributor to TheNews21 Pulse. She writes on youth culture, media, entertainment, technology, and the social trends shaping Generation Z and Generation Alpha. Her work explores how digital culture influences identity, creativity, storytelling, and everyday life.
