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At the request of U.S. President Donald Trump, Congress voted in July 2025 to pass the $1.1 billion that had previously approved the company for public broadcasting. The measure passed very narrow margins in the House and Senate, which would cut all federal taxes that will flow to PBS and its affiliated TV stations over the next two fiscal years.
Public media networks have played a crucial role in producing educational TV programs for nearly 60 years, especially for children. In recent years, it has obtained 15% of the budget from the federal government. Many of its member radio stations rely more on Washington than Washington, resulting in a series of announcements about plans to cut plans.
“Sesame Street” is still in production, including new TV shows such as “Wild Kratts” and “Daniel Tiger's Community.” In addition to making popular age programs, PBS Kids also has a website and multiple apps that contain games and activities that provide additional learning opportunities.
The local PBS affiliate station provides educational programs and other resources to schools, families and communities.
I am a child development researcher who studies how children interact with digital media, and how educational programs and other types of content help them learn. I also have two kids under 5, so now I am immersed in children’s media at work and at home.
What do the kids see
In a study on types of media children’s consumption published in the June 2025 Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, my colleagues and I surveyed parents and other types of caregivers of 346 first-year students. Study participants listed the most used TV shows, videos, apps, and games for children.
Our research team then uses the system’s coding process to see how many children access educational programs in their favorite media – whether through their favorite TV shows, online videos, or video games.
We found that only 12% of the content can be described as education. This number varies greatly: For some of the children of adults we surveyed, the educational media includes their top three to five sources. Others simply do not list any consumption of educational media.
We also looked at who uses educational media.
Our team found that there was no difference in the use of children’s educational media based on years of education. This finding suggests that children of all backgrounds are equally likely to consume it.
The vast majority of media consumed by children have little educational value.
Nelson Barnard/Getty Images
The role of PBS
This peer-reviewed study did not break our results through specific media. However, given the cessation of federal funding, I wanted to find out the educational content that children watch came from PBS.
With this goal in mind, I learned that PBS accounts for 45% of educational TV or 45% of videos parents say their children often watch. This makes PBS the primary source of children's education programs to date. Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. ranked second with 14%, while YouTube (9%) ranked third.
PBS accounts for a smaller percentage of all educational apps and games, accounting for only 6%. I believe this may be because some non-PBS applications, such as Prodigy and I-Ready, can be introduced in schools, dominating in this category.
A cartoon, “Daniel Tiger's Neighbor” seems to be familiar with anyone watching. ” Rogers’ community.
An uncertain future
Independent production companies that collaborate with PBS for programming consult with children’s development and children’s media experts and conduct research throughout the production process to see how children respond and learn, often in collaboration with children with PBS.
This rigorous production process can include watching children watch programs, conducting focus groups and conducting surveys on parents’ experiences. It takes a lot of time and money to produce this well-crafted educational media. This process ensures that programming is both fun for children and helps them learn.
What the end of federal funding means for PBS’ education programs for children is unclear. But it seems inevitable for me that my kids, as well as everyone else’s children, will have fewer and free access options in the coming years.
At the same time, the flashy and light-colored content that may not be enough to sell to children, and these children provide little value for their learning.