The Portrayal of Mental Illness in Popular Children's Programs on Netflix: A Content and Thematic Analysis

Children's television has been identified as a potential contributor to the development of stigma toward people with mental illnesses. This study investigates how mental illness is portrayed in popular children's programs on Netflix, through references to mental illness and characters who are labeled as having a mental illness. A descriptive content analysis was conducted on approximately 2.5 hr of episodes from each of the 40 children's programs listed as "Popular on Netflix" in January 2021, resulting in a sample of 339 episodes totaling 107.25 hr in duration. A follow-up inductive thematic analysis was conducted on the episodes identified as containing characters with mental illness. A total of 118 references were identified in 58% of programs, which were almost exclusively disrespectful slang terms such as "crazy," "insane," and "nuts," and were most commonly used to disparage others or to indicate dangerousness. Fifteen characters were identified as having a mental illness and were portrayed as dangerous, unpredictable, and untrustworthy, to which others responded with violence, fear, and avoidance. The inductive thematic analysis showed that violence was emphasized in male characters while obsessiveness was emphasized in female characters. These characters were also often portrayed as socially isolated, aggressive villains who presented a challenge to be overcome by the main character(s), before receiving a justified negative outcome. These negative portrayals may contribute to the development of stigma toward people with mental illnesses in children, although further research is needed before confident conclusions can be made.