Silo parents guide: Why you shouldn't let your kids watch the sci-fi dystopian drama, explained

Apple TV's sci-fi dystopian drama, Silo, is buzzing globally with good reviews, and it's for all the right reasons. It stars Rebecca Ferguson and Rashida Jones and takes us to a dystopian future. It delves into life in a giant underground community called the Silo. This might initially look like an uncomplicated sci-fi series suitable for children, but in reality, it covers complex themes that become difficult for a child's mind to grasp. It has a rating of TV-MA, which makes Silo unsuitable for children below 17 years of age.

At first glance, Silo might look like a protective bubble shielding survivors from an external threat. As you slowly dig into the series, you’ll realize that beneath the protective shield is a society with hierarchical levels. These structures highlight social division and inequality and leave the residents with no voice of their own. Fear shapes the daily life of the residents, trust is rare, and relationships are strained. Information is limited, filtered, and often manipulated. For children, these ideas can be difficult to process. There's little emotional relief or humor to balance such tough themes.

Here's what parents need to know before letting their children watch this Apple TV series.

Silo parents guide

Silo has a TV-MA rating (in the US), which means it's unsuitable for children below 17 years of age. In several other countries, including Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the UAE, the show has a similar content rating. Why is there a need for this strict rating?

There are several reasons why you should not let your children watch Silo, and among them are the use of strong language and drugs, violence, and sex***l scenes, to name a few.

For instance, in the premiere episode, there are instances of intimate scenes between a couple who are eager to become pregnant. Additionally, there are also some gory sequences that a child must avoid, including a woman bleeding profusely, skeletal remains, and dead bodies with bruises and cuts.

The language used in Silo might not seem strong at first instance, but the repetitive usage of F*** makes it unsuitable for children. Apart from that, scenes like a woman collapsing and dying after stepping outside might also instill fear in young minds.

Most importantly, the series is meant for adults; hence, it does not spend time explaining the moral consequences of each decision. People lie, steal, and manipulate repeatedly, and it is often glorified. Children might get the wrong message from such scenes. Fear shapes the daily life of the residents, trust is rare, and relationships are strained. Information is limited, filtered, and often manipulated. For children, these ideas can be difficult to process. There's little emotional relief or humor to balance such tough themes.

Moreover, the heavy use of dystopian themes, including class divide, unnecessary surveillance, tragedy, and oppression, is not for young minds.

Here's what you can let your children watch instead. If your child enjoys sci-fi, you can make him/her watch Adventure Time (HBO Max), Black Clover (Crunchyroll for free), and Lost in Space (Netflix), to name a few.

Some Apple TV shows that your child can enjoy this holiday season are Wondla, Ghostwriter, Stillwater, Jane, Mankind, and Time Bandits, to name a few.

For parents, you can still enjoy the two seasons of Silo, available to stream on Apple TV, alongside other shows, including Chief of War and Pluribus. Good news: it's also renewed for Seasons 3 and 4. Here's what actor Steven Zahn said about the upcoming seasons. In a candid chat with Collider, he revealed,

"Yes. We're almost done. I'm almost done. I flew here yesterday. Season 3 is still in post. It's coming out. I don't know when. It’s a complicated show. There's a lot going on as far as visual effects. “We're in [Season] 4 right now. We're in the middle of 4, and it's the biggest show. There's so much going on. Season 4 is really cool. There's a lot of action."

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Also read: 7 Times Silo differed from the book it was adapted from

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