ABSTRACT
One of the most influential agents of children's socialization is television. In the US, school-aged children watch more than 3 hours of television a day on average. Considering these figures, it is important to examine the ideologies embedded in television programs for children, including cult animated series such as Nickelodeon's The Legend of Korra (LOK). Hailed by Vanity Fair as one of the most powerful, subversive shows of 2014, LOK was praised for its [s]trong characters, compelling storylines, heartfelt humor, [and] gorgeous animation. This chapter analyzes how LOK, the sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender, reimagines childhood within the context of twenty-first century American sociocultural politics, particularly in relation to anxieties around child safety and the breaking down of traditional family structures. It also analyzes how LOK reproduces adult anxieties about childhood and reflects American discourses regarding children in the twenty-first century by representing child characters as simultaneously empowered and disempowered.
