Growing Up
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Growing Up
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
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Growing Up is a sensitive series featuring real young people age 18–22, each of whom talk about a difficult experience they had as a younger person. The positive messages are relatable and clear: Participants show significant courage and candor in relating their tales, are supportive of each other, and are honest and perceptive about what they gained and lost in going through each experience. Many of the interviewees are people of color who talk about how their race and/or ethnic background has affected their lives. One woman uses a wheelchair and is very frank about how her body's differences have played out in her life experiences. Another woman is trans, and she relates the story of discovering her true identity. There's some cursing ("damn," "hell") and some talk of boyfriends, girlfriends, and crushes. We see teens kissing in a brief scene.
What's the Story?
Created by actor Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), GROWING UP takes aim at the difficult, messy, beautiful process of turning from a kid into an adult by interviewing a group of young people ages 18 to 22 about difficult moments in their past. Using a mixture of documentary filmmaking, reenactments with actors, and found footage, participants and directors dramatize experiences that ultimately brought maturity and wisdom to those who lived through them.
Is It Any Good?
This lovely and evocative docuseries uses a mixture of narration, dramatization, and imagery borrowed from other stories to tell sensitive stories about the life challenges of real teens. Growing Up begins simply, with director/creator Brie Larson gathering together her group of young participants in a room, and then encouraging them to talk about a difficult time in their past. Each narrates their own story (or sometimes they tell their tales together, as we see in the episode focused on best friends Clare and Isabel), and each participant gets their own episode to wrap up something that was hard, what they learned, and where they are now.
It sounds trite. It isn't. Some of the experiences these teens have had are intense (homelessness, bullying, severe depression) while others seem less so on the surface (two episodes center around young women learning to take pride in their unconventional individual beauty), but as in life, the problems only seem small to others judging from the outside. Given life and color by the young people who survived their travails and learned something from them, the stories are deeply relatable and moving. There are tears, hugs, and earnest declarations ... maybe some of them from the people watching, too.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the things these teens have been through, and the experiences in their own lives that are similar. What did participants learn about themselves? What lessons did you learn?
Have you or anyone you love been a victim of cyberbullying? Explain why the anonymity of the internet is a major cause. How does your family or your community deal with the issue? What, if any, resources are available to you if you become the object of bullying?
Do you relate to any of the participants? Do you need to share problems with someone in order to empathize with their issues? What common problems do all people share?
TV Details
- Premiere date: October 5, 2022
- Cast: Brie Larson
- Network: Disney+
- Genre: Reality TV
- Character Strengths: Courage, Empathy
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: December 14, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
-
American Teen
Riveting documentary is bound to get kids talking.
-
Catfish
Online life docu reels viewers in with suspense, humanity.
-
Hoop Dreams
Stunning documentary addresses race and class issues.
For kids who love documentaries
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