Quirky cartoon values family, fun, and finding your purpose.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a little
The Gems face off with a variety of beings. There's hand-to-hand combat, often accelerated by each Gem's unique weapons: a whip, gauntlet gloves, and a sword. Most foes collapse or disappear when they're killed, but in some cases there's additional violence.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Nothing overt, but there's some innuendo that will hit the mark with tweens. In one scene, for example, Steven embraces a standing cannon and rubs up and down on it before being told by a grown-up to stop.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Steven is compassionate, curious, eager to learn, and creative in his problem-solving. All the Crystal Gems work closely with Steven to teach him about their shared powers. Greg's lack of powers doesn't stop him from teaching his son some valuable lessons about being a good person, often from personal experience of doing things the wrong way.
Positive Messages
some
Though his family structure is atypical, Steven has the benefit of three older "siblings" who mentor him. Even though the Gems' supernatural powers are important weapons, Steven often shows that humans are worthy warriors, too. Some people may see stereotypes on the surface; for example, Amethyst eats junk food, picks her nose, and likes to be loud and crude; and Steven's dad has a mullet, minimal work ethic, and lives out of his van. However, every character has incredible depth and their love and support for Steven is apparent, subverting any preconceived notions.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Steven Universe is one of those Adventure Time-esque animated shows that's more for teens and tweens than young kids. Its ultra retro, stylized design and kooky plots will appeal to teens who enjoy Cartoon Network's more offbeat offerings. That said, there's a truly likable group camaraderie and lots of strong female characters, especially Steven's cohorts the Gems, both of whom benefit Steven as he matures in his powers and as a boy. You'll see a fair amount of fighting, hastened by the Gems' powerful weapons, and some creatures' bloodless deaths, but some problems are solved with words rather than violence.
Lots of Pearl (haha get it?) clutching in some of these reviews
Steven Universe is one of those rare kids shows that actually have the whole package: well-developed story and characters, gorgeous animation, wonderful messages, etc.
Some parents freak out over the LGBT+ friendly content, thinking it's the Big Scary Gay Agenda trying to confuse their kids about their gender and/or turn their kids gay or something. If your child turns out to not be hetero and/or cis, it's because they were born that way, not because a cartoon show confused them. It's absurd, truly. And seeing a show with characters that they can relate to will only make them feel validated.
Other than that, if you're worried about your kids having some tough questions about the show, guess what? Welcome to parenting. Suck it up. You're gonna have to answer tough questions sometimes. But look, kids are FAR more intelligent, accepting, and understanding than you think. It doesn't have to be complicated.
Here's an easy script for you to follow:
Your kid: "Mommy/Daddy, is Pearl in love with Rose? Aren't they both girls? Girls can be in love with other girls?"
You say: "Yes. Some girls love girls, and some boys love boys. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that- it's just how some people are."
Your kid: "Oh! Ok."
Your kid goes back to watching Steven Universe.
End scene.
I had a similar conversation with my 6 year old son. I am telling you, kids will accept very simple answers to questions that some of you are all a-tizzy about.
I've found that kids have to be taught how to be racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. and parents are wholly responsible for teaching them that hatred. Don't be that parent.
And why would that one silly issue cause you to deny your child to watch such a high-quality cartoon show? There are many different body types, good messages about friendship and love, healthy conflict resolution, non-toxic masculinity, and all around positivity and pure joy. Be a decent human being, for goodness sake. There are far worse kids shows out there and SU is a breath of fresh air.
What's the Story?
STEVEN UNIVERSE is an animated adventure series that centers on the youngest member of the Crystal Gems, a group of guardians tasked with protecting Earth from a variety of unwelcome visitors. Steven (voiced by Zack Callison) inherited his Gem from his late mother, and as the show progresses, his powers evolve with the help of full-fledged Gems Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), and Pearl (Deedee Magno). Also present is his dad, Greg (Tom Scharpling), who compensates for his lack of superpowers with an abundance of love and protective instincts for his son.
Created by former Adventure Time artist/writer Rebecca Sugar, this is a quirky cartoon whose off-kilter comedy sometimes leans on stereotypes and crudity for effect. None of it is intentionally harmful, but parents may question the need for recurring potty humor and junk food consumption (ice cream and "fry bits" are a couple of the characters' favorites) that's mostly limited to the show's portlier -- and, it's implied, less healthy -- characters. On the upside, as the series evolves and Steven matures, more attention is paid to his assuming equal status and responsibility among the Gems, and Greg takes on a more significant mentoring role for Steven's character development, to surprisingly positive results.
As in Adventure Time, Steven Universe is a cartoon that isn't really meant for younger kids, thanks to some mild sexual innuendo and general crudity, among other snags. Its bizarre premise and throwback animation style may appeal to tweens looking for something that's off the beaten cartoon path, though, and they will be able to see past the characters' flaws to recognize their positive traits better than younger kids would.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the appeal of fantasy stories like Steven Universe. Why is it fun to imagine supernatural forces at play around us? How would it change the world if such things could be true?
The Gems teach and mentor Steven. Can you think of any other shows where female characters are as powerful as the Gems? What qualities do each of them have?
Some animated shows contain both comedy and drama in their stories; this one, Legend of Korra, and others. What do you think about this trend? What can animation do that live-action can't?
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.
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.
By Emily Ashby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
