Netflix's New 'CoComelon' for Older Kids To Include Speaking Characters

Cocomelon Cocomelon Lane Netflix Heather Tilert TV playdate toddler Fun with Family and Friends developmental impact of "CoComelon" delay a child's speech development Kassie Hanson Screen babysitters screen-time virtual babysitters

By Lili Scott , Parent Herald Sep 10, 03:18 am

"CoComelon," the popular children's series, is preparing to debut "CoComelon Lane" on the Netflix streaming platform in 2023. Aimed at children between 3 to 5 years old, the spinoff series will feature a kiddie character who will speak to the camera for the first time.

Heather Tilert, the streamer's executive for preschool content, told The Washington Post that the main character of "Cocomelon Lane" is a toddler with two teeth who speaks directly to the viewers. The show was made to invite the children at home to a TV playdate with JJ and his friends.

In line with the upcoming series, Netflix released 20 animated short stories featuring new songs and games for the kids and some familiar tunes for the parents, such as "Stand by Me" and "Twist and Shout." The musical segments are part of the special, "Fun with Family and Friends," wherein preschool children learn touching skills, movements, shapes, and colors, as well as emotions.

The developmental impact of "CoComelon"

In June, Netflix confirmed the production for "CoComelon Lane," as the franchise's first narrative series with actual story arcs, according to The Wrap. It will delve into JJ's brand new adventure as he reaches more developmental milestones.

The show will serve as a companion series to the original seven-minute snippets of "CoComelon," which has reached global success among babies and young kids. Netflix also announced that the original program had been renewed on the platform for three more seasons with 24 episodes.

The news of a speaking character on "CoComelon Lane" comes as a pediatric speech-language pathologist said that the original program may negatively delay a child's speech development. Talk 2 Me Mama's Kassie Hanson noted that research supports how kids below two years old, the target audience for the first "CoComelon" series, develop speech, communication, and cognition through actual interaction with other children instead of the TV screens.

Concerns over "CoComelon" have reached fever-pitch on TikTok after a mother claimed that her 2-year-old girl had speech delays because she watched nothing else but the children's show. The mom decided to switch up and played kiddie videos from YouTube, and in no time, her child started to say more words and even dialed down on the tantrums.

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Despite these claims, there is no scientific proof showing that the speech delay was due to "CoComelon," as other experts said the problem might be due to the child's TV viewing habits in general.

Screen babysitters are not good for the kids

Meanwhile, more parents are apparently relying on screen time as virtual babysitters, which can be unhealthy for a child's development. According to the Baltimore Sun, about 87 percent of children in the U.S. are using more screen time than ever before, and it's even alarming because these kids start in infancy, when the brain is still developing.

Infants were on the screen for 53 minutes more than the recommended healthy use. Upon reaching 12 months old, they spend 150 minutes watching programs like "CoComelon" on the TV or the tablet when they should be playing with blocks or puzzles and scribbling on paper.