The Circle parents guide: Netflix's social media experiment might be a good object lesson for your kids

When it comes to competition shows, Netflix has several with intriguing and different settings. To wit:The Circle, which returned for the first part of its sixth season today on the streamer, puts everyone in an apartment building, but they only interact online. And they don’t need to be who they say they are.

Individuals live in an apartment building for the duration of the competition. They set up personas on The Circle’s own social media platform, with some of them choosing to play as themselves and others choosing to play as others—usually someone they know in their real life.

The players then form bonds, and they need to decide whether they want to keep a player in the game or not. Eventually, people are voted out and there is one winner for the big prize pot. The question is whether it will be someone genuine or not.

The Circle parents guide: Explaining the TV-MA age rating

The rating of the series on Netflix is officially TV-MA for "language." However, this could be something that works for those in their teenage years. It’s just not going to be interesting for younger children who tend to prefer story-driven cartoons over reality programs.

The Circle does offer a lesson in how not everyone is who they say they are online. Tweens and younger teens can be shocked to learn that people lie about their identities. While people lie in The Circle for fun and to win money, we also get to see why they do it, and it’s a strong lesson in not always believing what people say.

Sex & nudity: There isn’t any sex in the series. When it comes to nudity, people may choose to walk around in shorts, bikinis, and even underwear, but there is no nudity on camera. Everyone is in their own apartment, and they don’t interact in person until the very end when they finally get to see who everyone really is.

Language: This is where the TV-MA rating comes into play. The reality stars are not censored in the way that they choose to speak, and that means there can be a lot of swear words. There are times that the F-bomb is dropped; but I haven’t heard the C-word used during the previous five seasons of the series.

Violence: There isn’t any violence shown on the screen. Some people get angry and they can hit tables or something, but there is no violence toward another person. However, there have been some instances of contestants commenting about violence, so be warned.

Alcohol and drug use: There are no drugs shown on screen, but they can sometimes be mentioned. There is some drinking when the individuals are in their own apartment, but there isn’t any heavy alcohol use. These individuals are stuck in their apartments with the supplies provided by the series.

Overall verdict: Who is The Circle appropriate for?

This is one of those shows that you can have on while children are around without too many concerns. However, most children aren’t going to be interested in a show like this. I do still stand by it being a good lesson for teenagers as they learn about the dangers of social media, and they may get sucked in by the strategy of the competition. So take that into account when you're signing them up for The Circle.