Can my child watch this? The Duffer Brothers' Upside-Down world expands

The supernatural sci-fi horror series Stranger Things on Netflix was a massive hit for identical twin brother creators Matt and Ross Duffer, credited as the Duffer Brothers, when it ran for five seasons from 2016 to 2025. It launched the careers of actors Millie Bobby Brown, Joe Keery, Finn Wolfhard and others, and introduced Winona Ryder to a new generation.

However, the show is pretty scary – even though it features children at the centre – with self-ratings including M, 13, and 16 across the seasons. Each season gets darker, and might not be right for your tamariki or younger rangatahi.

Recently, the Duffer Brothers have expanded their offering to hook a wider age range with two new series executive-produced by their “Upside Down Pictures” company.

Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85

This is an animated show rated PG. The Duffer Brothers said they wanted it to “capture that sort of Saturday morning cartoon feel” from the eighties – like old-school Scooby-Doo or The Real Ghostbusters. The episodes are around 30 minutes each, making them more kid-friendly than the longer runtimes of the live-action series.

It’s set in the winter of 1985, between seasons 2 and 3 of the original series, and features many of the original characters. Over the course of the season, Eleven and her friends team up to fight an interdimensional threat from the Upside Down as local adults remain oblivious.

How scary is it?

The scariness is much milder than the original Stranger Things series. This is partly due to it being animated rather than live action. Characters fight monsters, but the violence isn’t graphic. There are big tentacled monsters with toothy maws, and a spooky Upside Down world that's dark and menacing. Characters are threatened and shoved by bullies.

Is it right for my whole whānau?

It’s not all scary monsters. There are positive messages in the series, especially around working together with friends to overcome obstacles. Kids are shown to be kind, smart, and resourceful, and differences are celebrated.

People do come to the “Stranger Things” franchise for the scares, though. Talk within your whānau about what things are scary for each of you – is it monsters, darkness, or bullying? Use the information on our Find a Rating page for this series to help you decide if you want to watch it right now.

Perhaps the biggest conversation you’ll need to navigate is younger children wanting to move onto the original, live-action Stranger Things show after they’ve watched this one. The live-action series is much scarier and intended for more mature audiences than Tales from ‘85. We have a blog post about all the seasons to help you decide which, if any, might be suitable for your tamariki. Consider chatting and making the decision together before pressing play.

The Boroughs

There is a star-studded cast in this series, which will appeal to older audiences – Alfred Molina (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Geena Davis (Thelma and Louise), Denis O’Hare (American Horror Story), Alfre Woodard (12 Years a Slave), and Jena Malone (Donnie Darko) are just the beginning – but the Duffer Brothers connection will likely make this of interest to young people, too, perhaps seeking out more live-action thrills.

The Boroughs is self-rated 13 by Netflix, due to its elements of horror, offensive language, and violence. The season follows Sam, a grieving widower who reluctantly moves to a retirement community, The Boroughs, where he discovers things are not as picturesque as they first seem. He teams up with his neighbours to solve an otherworldly mystery that is threatening their sanity and lives.

How scary is it?

There are only a few jump scares throughout the whole season, nothing like the tension and level of the original, live-action Stranger Things (but scarier than Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85!). The monsters are particularly spooky – they're big, long-legged, spider-like beings that feed on people and grab them.

Characters face peril, kidnapping, and death, but nothing really graphic is shown. Some of the human characters are shown distorted into scary, threatening beings with hollowed-out skin and glowing eyes, and there’s one scene with a character with gruesome (but non-bloody) facial injuries after an accident.

Is it right for my whole whānau?

There’s a lot of humour, and positive representation of friendships, cooperation, and fighting against corruption. Characters also swear frequently, so you’ll need to assess if that sounds suitable for your whānau.

Everyone finds different things scary. Some of us don’t like gore; some of us don’t like monsters. Use the information about The Boroughs on our Find a Rating page to help you decide if you and your tamariki feel ready to watch the series yet.

How to talk about what you’re seeing in these shows: some conversation starters

Talking about what your whānau is watching can help your child process what they've seen and understand their emotions.

We always advise that these conversations should be shaped by age, maturity and understanding, rather than one hard rule about the “right age”. Reassuring your tamariki that they won’t get in trouble is important.

Try some of these conversation starters:

• “Which character did you like the most? Why?”
• “Were there any parts that scared or surprised you?”
• “How did the group help each other during hard times?”
• “Did anything in the series remind you of something in real life?”
• “If you see something on screen that scares or upsets you, who can you talk to?”
• “What advice would you give to a younger child about what they could do if they were scared by something in a series or movie, or by something they saw online?”

These conversations not only help kids reflect on what they’ve watched but also connect it to their own experiences.

Read our full conversation starters guide here.

Further content

• Can my child watch Stranger Things | Classification Office
• Talking with young people about what they’re watching
• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?