Why is Friends merchandise aimed at 7 year olds these days??

[Ginny1987]

Who is letting their seven year old watch Friends?! I have an eight year old clamouring to watch it because her pals are all wearing the T-shirts, pjs etc. It won’t be allowed. It just seems strange and unnecessary.

@Alighttouchonthetiller no mine hasn't seen it either!

I'm a Friend's fan (have probably seen every episode about 100 times) but I don't allow my almost 11yr old to watch it. Too many references to sex for my liking. We've had "The Talk" so she knows how babies are made, but I think some of the jokes are still too grown up. Luckily she doesn't seem bothered about watching it.

Yes to this!! I watched it as a kid and when mine were younger I bought the DVDs and we'd watch it. They loved it and I got to watch a bit if nostalgia from my childhood!

Friends not so much. My dd watched it when she was about 12. Not sure I'd want my 7 year old watching a program with so many references to sex, porn and the ins and outs of adult relationships, even if it is humoured.

Because it's for adults.

I am seriously considering the DVDs now they want you to pay extra on prime for it!
It was making me so happy!

For the same reason Rolling Stones, Ramones tshirts are sold to young kids - because adults liked them! Bit daft imo.
Does mean they have to watch it.

I can't see what any 7/8/9 year old would get from Friends? Surely, they don't understand the jokes or the cultural references and don't have that much interest in the lives of 6 20-something's living in New York? Even if you're not worried about the content being inappropriate, it's an odd choice to watch with primary age DC given all of the other many, many, many more suitable options available.

I agree OP, my 12 and 14 year olds have watched it but not my 7 or 10 year olds

When I turned the tv on earlier tonight a Friends episode was underway. The scene was about Monica and Chandler having a sex ban before their wedding, later in the episode Monica is making a fake foreskin for Joey who is doing a nude scene in a film, and the end of the episode Ross tries to kiss his very attractive cousin. Friends used to be on tv around 9pm back in its heyday, it’s not for younger kids 😆

It's so boring though. Would a 7 year old even want to watch more than one episode?

Friends has basically been on repeat in my house for the last 5 years. Dc are currently 12 and 9. The porn references have gone completely over their heads and that's the worst there is. They focus in the joey doesn't share food, pivot, they don't know that we know that they know etc. It's a bit of it's time but far far worse they could be watching!

Exactly what I’m thinking. If we ignore that it’s full of adult references I still don’t get what anyone under about 13 would see in it.

I watched it when it was first on in the mid 90s, but I was 20 by then.

I think this episode is great in showing how important safe sex is!

And it at all problematic that Monica is about to have sex with her Dad’s best friend, who watched her grow up 🙃

not at all*

The school would also consider access to Snapchat and TikTok before the age of 13 a concern and would want to do some work with children and parents about safe use of social media.

Honestly I work in a school in the infant end and that's the least of our problems. No one is working with anyone because their ex are doing dances they've seen on tik tok in the playground at age 6 let alone 11 or 12. Don't be ridiculous

My 12 year old started watching it recently and is only just the right age to enjoy it, maybe not even yet. She was not interested enough to get through an episode at a younger age when she did like the merch. The jokes are adult. I am surprised younger kids want to watch let alone the content.

I say this as a massive Friends nerd.

Well mine certainly haven't! Neither they nor their friends have phones and are not on social media.

What's wrong with Young Sheldon?

I wonder if all these tshirts, pjs, etc were from Primark ( I’ve seen quite a few while shopping last week) and parents bought them just because they were cheap not because children were big fans.

My 11 year olds watched them all.
She watched them ages ago too. Loads of stuff goes over their heads. I don’t see an issue personally

I think Friends is full of stereotyped male - female relationships and I hate the trope of Joey's interest in Lesbian sex.

I watched friends as an older teen the first time round and have re-watched recently with the kids and was shocked by the many many references to sex etc, it's mentioned A LOT. My 11 year old has watched them but we do fast forward or skip some episodes.