Silver Tales: A quantitative content analysis on the representation of older characters in children's television.

Older characters were underrepresented in children's television across all content providers studied.

• A quantitative content analysis of 653 episodes totaling 182 hours was conducted.
• Eight content providers were selected to address the Flemish television market.
• Three local broadcasters (Ketnet, Studio 100 Television, VTM KIDS), three transnational players (Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel), and two streaming services (Netflix and Disney+) were included.
• Programs were recorded during August 2022, October 2022, and March 2023 to account for distinct programming waves.

Older characters were often portrayed in minor roles rather than central or prominent ones.

• The finding was consistent across the eight content providers analyzed.
• This pattern of minor role assignment was identified as a key dimension of representation alongside frequency of appearance.
• The study examined both how often and how diversely older characters were represented.

Diversity among older characters was limited, with a predominance of 'young-old,' non-disabled, middle-class, Caucasian, and male characters.

• Characters were predominantly categorized as 'young-old' rather than representing older age categories.
• Non-disabled status was the norm among older characters depicted.
• Characters were predominantly middle-class and Caucasian.
• Male characters outnumbered female older characters.
• Sexuality was either absent or limited to heterosexual relationships among older characters.

The connotation associated with older characters was mostly positive and older characters were mostly portrayed as having active everyday lives.

• Despite underrepresentation and limited diversity, the valence of portrayals skewed positive.
• Active lifestyle portrayals were a notable characteristic of older characters when they did appear.
• These findings represent two distinct dimensions of representation quality beyond mere frequency.

Few differences in the representation of older characters were found among the eight content providers examined.

• The public broadcaster Ketnet did not outperform other providers despite governmental mandates.
• Netflix did not outperform other providers despite its self-identification as a 'progressive player'.
• Both local broadcasters, transnational players, and streaming services showed similar patterns of older character representation.
• The lack of differentiation was described as 'notable' given the distinct mandates and self-positioning of certain providers.

This study provides an initial quantitative exploration of older character representation in children's television as a foundation for future qualitative research.

• The study used quantitative content analysis methodology.
• The research addresses both frequency and diversity dimensions of representation.
• The authors position this as groundwork for subsequent qualitative investigations.
• The study specifically targets the Flemish television market as its geographic and cultural context.