When you’re watching TV with your kids, do you take notice of how many people on the screen are Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, LGBT, working class or disabled? Often we’re so grateful for the ten minutes of quiet, to drink a cup of tea, we’re more likely to zone out of what’s on the screen.

But my guests on this episode – children’s digital media expert Olivia Dickinson and Lyndsay Gardner, mum of two in a same sex family – say it’s more important than ever that we sit up and pay attention. A 2019 report by Hopster found that top preschool TV shows poorly represented disability, LGBT, the working class and had high rates of gender stereotyping, pushing Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic characters into the background.

Olivia chats to me about why it’s so important that all kids see themselves represented on TV programmes and Lyndsay explains her worries that her daughters don’t see any LGBT families in the shows they watch. We discuss why representation is still a problem and what we, as parents, can do to balance things off.

This episode is brought to you in association with Hopster - a preschool kids learning and entertainment app. For a monthly fee of £4.99, subscribers can access a diverse range of kids' learning & entertainment shows, stimulating games, classic nursery rhymes, fun music and a variety of books. There’s no ads and everything is hand-curated so your kids won’t come across anything unsuitable. You can get a free 7-day trial – just download the app from the Apple app store or Google Play.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a rating or review - and you can subscribe to ensure you don’t miss future episodes.  Thank you!

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people about parenthood on the podcast. You can check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry. You can pre-order my book OMG It's Twins (out March 2021) now.

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

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