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Evaluating Kids Media Diversity Across Popular and New Shows

At the Geena Davis Institute, we take a research-driven approach to driving diverse representation and inclusion on screen. Our work combines large-scale data collection, rigorous quantitative analysis, and year-to-year comparisons to track how portrayals evolve, highlighting both progress and persistent gaps.

For this annual study, we analyze two types of television programming:

  1. Popular Programming: Television programming popular with children ages 2 to 11 in the U.S. according to Nielsen metrics, including the 10 most popular broadcast, cable, and streaming shows across all languages from 2018 to 2024.
  2. New Programming: TV programming actively being made and green-lit for children from 2018 to 2024.

While popular programming reveals what children actively watch due to network promotion, new programming reveals what studio executives are currently green-lighting. Comparing these two datasets highlights both encouraging breakthroughs and areas that require deliberate attention.

Key Findings: Quick Overview

  • Gender Representation: Female characters reached a historic high of 48.8% of lead roles in new shows. In contrast, popular programming still favors male characters, who outnumber female characters by 22.6 percentage points (61.3% vs. 38.7%).
  • Racial Diversity: Characters of color represent 52.3% of leads in new shows. However, in popular shows, characters of color account for 35.9% of all roles—down from 40.5% in 2023.
  • Disability Visibility: Representation remains low, accounting for 2.5% of characters in popular programming and 1.7% in new shows, with near-zero representation in lead roles for popular shows.
  • LGBTQIA+ Inclusion: LGBTQIA+ portrayals remain minimal, making up 1.1% of characters in popular shows and 1.5% in new programming.
  • Body Type & Age: Fat characters made up 16.5% of roles in popular shows (up from 6.5% in 2023). Characters aged 50 and older represented 7.5% of new shows, though these roles remain disproportionately white, male, and non-disabled.

Analyzing Inclusion Progress in New TV Greenlights

The data from new programming offers a more encouraging vision for the future of entertainment. For the first time since data collection began in 2018, female leads in new shows reached near-parity at 48.8%, up from 44.3% in 2022.

Furthermore, characters of color held 52.3% of all leading roles in new shows. While this is lower than the 63.4% recorded in 2023, it shows sustained commitment to racial diversity in newly green-lit content.

However, representation gaps remain clear for other communities in new productions:

  • Disability Representation: Only 1.7% of characters in new programming are disabled, though disabled leads rose slightly to 1.4%.
  • Age and Intersectionality: Characters aged 50 and older made up 7.5% of characters in new shows. These older characters were disproportionately white, male, and non-disabled.
  • LGBTQIA+ Portrayals: LGBTQIA+ characters comprised 1.5% of all characters in new shows, with leads accounting for 1.4%.

Strategic Recommendations for Entertainment Creators

Closing these representation gaps requires intentional editorial and casting decisions during pre-production. Based on our 2025 findings, we recommend the following actionable steps for storytellers:

  1. Promote Female-Led Content: Because new programming has nearly reached gender parity among leads, networks must market and amplify these shows so they reach young audiences.
  2. Diversify Minor Characters: Animated background characters can be diversified immediately to reflect real-world communities without altering primary storylines.
  3. Prioritize Intersectional Casting: Cast older characters who are women, people of color, or disabled to avoid reliance on homogenous character tropes.
  4. Expand Authentic Representation: Include disabled and LGBTQIA+ characters in central storylines that reflect varied life experiences beyond singular identity traits.

Supporting Evidence-Based Media Equity Research

Data-driven insights empower content creators to build narratives where every child feels seen. At the Geena Davis Institute, we partner with industry leaders to transform these research findings into systemic change across global media.

Support our ongoing research efforts to cultivate balanced screen portrayals for future generations. Donate today to help us continue this work.

 How to Cite This Study

Terán, L., and Conroy, M. (2025). GDI’s 2025 Children’s TV Report: Record Number of Female Leads in New Shows. The Geena Davis Institute.

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