there is nothing in the pre-teen genre so they are forced to be teenagers

I went out to dinner with my friends and we ended up talking about Disney Channel and our favorite shows growing up. It made me think about what new (good) shows Disney or Nickelodeon are coming out with now. Ever since Disney+ they have been only really coming out with shows that appeal to teenagers and up, or reboots of old shows. There is High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (who thought of that name), Percy Jackson, and some Star Wars shows, and I can't think of anything else. Nickelodeon has Paw Patrol and Spongebob, which is too young for them. In the 2000s there was Lizzie McGuire, Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, Cheetah Girls, and so much more. There were movies, TV shows, music, and pre-teen/tween celebrities who results from that. They had a clean image carefully curated by Disney, which wasn't truthful, but we never knew that at the time, and kids were given positive role models. In the 2010s there was Jessie, Bunk'd, Descendants, Good Luck Charlie, and Liv and Maddie. However, there aren't famous shows, music, or celebrities that could be idolized for pre-teens. The stars of Disney Channel and Nickelodeon used to be real celebrities, and talked about in magazines and the news. 

So many people on TikTok complain about how kids are "growing up too fast", such as those girls in Sephora, or those who film get ready with me's and use TikTok. Where are they supposed to go? What kind of content are they supposed to consume? Nothing is catered to their age group anymore. The only choices they have is to continue to consume media made for children, which no kid from the ages of 10-13 wants to do because it's natural to want to feel more grown-up, so they are forced to watch stuff made for teenagers and young adults. There are no shows, musicians, movies, or social media apps that are made for them. There are no celebrities their age who are famous enough to be a role model. 

In order for pre-teens to act their age, they need to live in a world that provides them with age appropriate role models and media. In the 2000s there was plenty of media and celebrities for teenagers and young adults, such as The O.C., Britney Spears, One Tree Hill, 90210, Lindsay Lohan, reality TV, MTV, Paris Hilton, and Destiny's Child, just to name a few. The reason Gen Z had such a good childhood was because media was made for us and our mindset. Pre-teens and tweens now don't have that, and it's not their fault. Instead of judging children for using the only spaces they have, online and in real life, we should be giving them age-appropriate content.