Parents' Guide to

Adult Swim

By Will Wade, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Promotional TV site can be funny, but it's for mature users.

Website http://www.adultswim.com
Adult Swim Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 11 parent reviews

Madison C.
Madison C. Parent of 15-year-old
January 21, 2023
age 14+

So watch out. Depends what you are watching So be careful be appropriate be great.

Parents should know that this show is for 14 and up like high school and up but watch out because some could be, 15, 17, 18, and 21.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Easy to play/use
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Janderson89
Janderson89 Adult
October 28, 2021
age 14+

Crass, needlessly at times, generally meh quality these days

So I remember the first time I saw adult swim. For one reason or another, I was up late at 7 or 8 years old. It, naturally, was something new and exciting, especially since it said adults only. Easiest way to get a kid's attention. Back then it started at 11pm. Now it starts at 8pm. As far as rating goes, it's got a pretty broad range. Generally I'd recommend teenage or above, though you know your child. Frankly, I think teaching your child is better than sheltering them, but there are some shows that take it to an extreme. Best example of this is Mr. Pickles. Very gross, gratuitously violent, deviant. Now this doesn't bother me, but the scenes could bother a younger child. Frankly, it's not worth it either. It is grotesque just to be grotesque, and that's the show. That's it's pitch. I can enjoy gratuitous blood and gore and sex, but not when that's ALL the show does and thinks it can coast on this. I bring this up because this is generally what's wrong with the block as a whole. Anything good (IE: American dad, and even that has wore out it's welcome for me) is another property. I will say on the positive side, there's generally not a TON of sex. Sure it's talked about, but the worst thing I can think of is a gimp in the priorly mentioned Mr Pickles. Again, my recommendation is talk to your kids. Everyone goes through that edgy teen phase and, if you wall off a channel like this (especially with the earlier start time it's more accessible, albeit the worst shows usually start 11 or midnight) it becomes this cool thing just by nature of it being taboo. Food for thought from a former kid.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 11 parent reviews

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (11):
Kids say (76):

Adult Swim, the network, focuses on edgy, satirical, sometimes experimental shows that feature extreme violence, casual sexism and highly suggestive material. But it’s all done with a tongue-in-cheek attitude, so hey, it’s OK -- it’s making fun of sadism and chauvinism, not promoting it, right? Adult Swim, the Web site, follows the same pattern, with clips, articles, games, and other features that promote its shows.

Some of the shows are quite funny while some are appealing only to a niche audience, but all of them are aimed, as the name says, at adults. The Web site includes the same mix of content, which can often be hit-or-miss, but whether it strikes home or not, it’s certainly not for young people.

Online interaction: Mostly limited to bulletin boards.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about animated violence. Do you think cartoon violence is OK for kids? Does it seem less extreme if it doesn’t involve real people? Do these online clips sometime feature violence that’s more extreme than live-action horror films?

  • Do you think sexual images are less risqué when they are animated? Do you think the sites promotes sexism? How does it objectify women?

Website Details

  • Genre: Blogging
  • Pricing structure: Free
  • Last updated: November 5, 2015

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