Growing up, we all watched shows from different channels geared towards children, such as Nickelodeon and Disney. But which is better? In addition, which of these two channels educates its viewers on the topic of equality between races? 

The TV channel Nickelodeon first went by the name “Pinwheel.” It first aired on December 1, 1977, and later rebranded to what we know today as Nickelodeon in 1978. Nickelodeon has since added four channels: Nick@Nite, Nick Toon, Teen Nick, and Nick Jr.

Disney Channel, an American cable network owned by Walt Disney productions, launched on April 18, 1983. The channel targets children and teenagers in both day and night time television. 

Both Nickelodeon and Disney expanded their programs with shows that included: sitcoms, comedy, and series for all age groups. It is best to say that both channels are great, but which is more educational?

In the year 2020, when the world protested about the death of George Floyd, Nickelodeon found it best to go on a pause with their daily productions and instead displayed a powerful message on their screen. “Nickelodeon is going off the air for 8 minutes, and 46 seconds, in support  of justice, equality, and human rights.” The entire video consisted of words that George Floyd stated when he was held to the ground with a knee on his neck. “I can’t breathe.” Taking such a public stance on a controversial topic was new territory for the network.

Although Disney is known for showing racial equality in their programs, they fail to do that as much as they used to. On the same day that Nickelodeon went off the air for almost nine minutes, Disney proceeded with airing shows as usual. It was only Nickelodeon who went out of their way to educate kids on what is going on just outside of their door.  

Nickelodeon spends its time conveying messages during commercials on topics such as: when slavery was abolished, when women and people of color could vote, and when the United States had its first female pilots.

With times like this, it is best for TV networks to explore meaningful topics for kids to understand what is happening in the world? Nickelodeon does an excellent job when it comes to this.