Australian Government Warns Parents Against 'Bluey', Strict Guidelines Broken

Is Bluey harming your child? The Australian government says yes.

Bluey is an Australian-animated television series with Ludo and BBC Studios that has gained widespread acclaim for its heartwarming storytelling, relatable characters, and charming humor that appeals to all ages (not just kids!).

Created by Joe Brumm, the show follows the adventures of a lovable Blue Heeler puppy named Bluey and her family in their suburban home.

Bluey’s imaginative playtime scenarios often mirror real-life situations, making the show highly relatable to both children and adults alike and has taken the world by storm.

For example, during the week of January 15-21, Bluey was the most streamed TV show with 1.5 billion minutes on Disney+, beating out shows like Young Sheldon and Grey’s Anatomy with an intended audience of 5-7-year-olds (even though there are many adults who have fallen for the show).

The success of Bluey can be attributed to its authenticity in depicting the dynamics of family life, its vibrant animation style, and its ability to entertain while imparting valuable life lessons. Each episode is filled with humor, creativity, and warmth, drawing viewers into Bluey’s world and fostering a sense of connection with the characters like Bingo, Mum, Dad, Rusty, Dusty, Digger, Chilli’s Mom, and more.

With Bluey being such a popular show, and the #1 watched show on any streaming platform in 2024, podcasters from the show Debunks have looked into whether Bluey is safe for kids, based on the Australian Government’s recommendation on screen time for kids.

Those guidelines are as follows: 

• no screen time for children younger than two years
• no more than one hour per day for children aged 2–5 years
• no more than two hours of sedentary recreational screen time per day for children and young people aged 5–17 years (not including schoolwork).

As stated in the podcast, reports of Bluey viewing does surpass these guidelines on average. The Australian Government believes that “most Australian children spend more time on screens than is recommended. Estimates from primary research suggest only 17–23% of preschoolers and 15% of 5–12-year-olds meet screen-time guidelines.6,7,8 Screen time has also been shown to increase between the ages of 10 and 14, especially among boys. The types of screen time that increased was electronic gaming for boys and TV, computer use and social networking for girls.”

This is linked to issues surrounding weight, motor and cognitive development, social and psychological well-being, behavioral development, anxiety, hyperactivity, attention, self-esteem and psychosocial health, and more.

In the episode “Cosmos journalist Jacinta Bowler exceeds the screen time guidelines to chat with experts including: Dr Anthea Rhodes paediatrician at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and director of the National Child Health, Australian Catholic University’s senior research fellow Dr Taren Sanders and Dr Luci Pangrazio, a Deakin University researcher and chief investigator in the Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child – to find out whether watching too many episodes of Bluey poses any real risk to young kids.”

Overall, it seems that the issue with screen time often comes with the type of content that kids are watching, not the duration. One thing that the podcast team cautioned parents over was the amount of time kids were “information binging” on YouTube, which means watching a succession of videos through the YouTube algorithm that did not have any educational purpose to it, as that would be harmful for kids after an excess amount of time, but watching a more educational show like Bluey would reportedly not have the same effects.

Daley Pearson, one of the show’s executive producers, spoke out on the intention of the show, stating:

“We also want each episode to be about something and about real life and what parenting is like. We have found that only 11% of the episodes are watched solo. It’s a family experience and a family show. If you put Bluey on at home, the first thing that happens is the kids jump up and start dancing to the theme tune. And then they start laughing at what is going on. The parents then start laughing because there are jokes in there for parents, too. Suddenly, you are in the middle of this family situation where everyone is having a good time.”

Bluey also tackles some much deeper topics. There are episodes touching on loss and grieving, infertility, fear and speaking up for yourself. Some of these topics have caused so much controversy that “in total, there have been 16 episodes of Bluey either banned or censored due to reactions from audiences.”

Overall, while the overwhelming watch time by kids does disrupt what the Australian Government recommends, other experts feel Bluey is the exception.

How many hours of Bluey do you think is acceptable for a child to watch?