Becoming You
By Melissa Camacho,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Sweet family-friendly child development docuseries.
Add rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Becoming You
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
Told through the eyes of 100 children from around the world, BECOMING YOU is a documentary series that shows how each of us forms a unique identity from the moment we are born until we turn five years of age. It shows how during those first 2,000 days of life, babies go from not understanding they are an individual person to developing their likes, dislikes, and unique personalities as they learn how to talk, move, think, and love. From Tokyo, Japan to Bajau Village in Borneo, actress Olivia Colman narrates as we watch children take key physical, mental, and emotional steps in building their own identity.
Is It Any Good?
This sweet series reveals how humans go from immobile, helpless babies who don't understanding that they are individual people, to five year olds who have a sense of self-identity. It showcases the natural developmental stages kids go through while highlighting what is learned behavior and what is innate in all of us. Issues like gender fluidity, understanding social norms, and the different ways that children assess their place in the world are also addressed.
Becoming You is beautifully produced and family friendly. But each episode is organized by theme, rather than developmental stage, so many of the children's growth experiences are only briefly mentioned, never to be seen again. As a result, you're left wanting to know more about some of them, while forgetting about the longer featured stories altogether. Some viewers might find this tiresome, but if you're interested in learning what makes us who we are at an early age, it's definitely worth your time.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the different stages of early childhood development impact our identity-forming process. What does Becoming You highlight as the key moments in this process?
How does media impact the way we create our identities during early childhood? Does the amount of screen time babies are exposed to impact their self-identity formation during the next few years?
TV Details
- Premiere date: November 13, 2020
- Cast: Olivia Colman
- Network: Apple TV+
- Genre: Reality TV
- Topics: Science and Nature
- Character Strengths: Courage , Curiosity , Perseverance
- TV rating: TV-G
- Last updated: February 18, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate