Industry parents guide: Why you shouldn't let your kids watch the HBO series, explained

Industry may look like a slick finance drama on the surface, but beneath the suits and glass offices, it is one of HBO’s most adult shows in recent years. Set inside the ruthless world of investment banking, the series dives headfirst into explicit romance, graphic nudity, heavy drug use, and emotionally volatile relationships, often without filters or moral cushioning.

This is not background television and it is definitely not designed for younger viewers still forming ideas about intimacy, power, consent, and self worth. Before you hand over the remote, it is worth understanding why Industry carries strict age ratings worldwide and why many critics and parent groups strongly advise against letting kids or teens watch it. Here's a parental guide to Industry, and why it's unsuitable for your kids.

What is Industry about?

Industry is a British American financial drama created by former bankers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay that follows a brutal six month graduate intake at the fictional London investment bank Pierpoint & Co. The show centres on young hires as they compete for permanent roles while navigating their lives and moral compromise on the trading floor. It premiered in November 2020 and quickly became known for its unflinching and frank depiction of high pressure finance.

At its core, the show follows five graduates at Pierpoint & Co. Yasmin, Harper, Gus, Robert, and Harry enter the firm chasing prestige and permanence. What they learn instead is that deceit, flattery, nepotism, and moral compromise are often more effective than hard work. Harper’s fraudulent résumé eventually costs her everything. Yasmin battles the fallout of her father’s embezzlement scandal. The others remain trapped in an environment that rewards ruthlessness and punishes vulnerability.

Why is Industry unsuitable for a younger audience?

Industry carries one of the strongest content warnings on television, and it earns that reputation without hesitation. This is a show that plunges headfirst into excess, exposing how ambition, privilege, and pressure collide inside the walls of a powerful London investment bank.

The show carries intense visuals of physical intimacy and contains a lot of nudity. Depiction of intimate acts is consistent throughout the show, alongwith complicated relationships of infidelity, harrassment and transactional intimacy. Several scenes include close up of physical acts, with prosthetic body parts used.

Profanity is relentless. Strong language dominates nearly every episode, making it unfriendly for a younger audience. Substance use is severe and omnipresent. Alcohol abuse is routine, with frequent binge drinking. Cigarette smoking, vaping, marijuana use, and heavy cocaine consumption appear regularly, with some epidodes even showing drug usage. There are also some violent scenes that include fistfights, blood and deaths of all kinds.

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All in all, it's not a show you would want your child to watch, considering it's darker themes and depiction of adult scenarios. For a show created about work, it certainly is not safe work and should include parental advisory if watched.

Industry is available to stream on HBO Max.

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