'Sesame Street' Is Shining Light on the Issue of Drug Addiction
Educating children and providing support.
In an effort to shine light on issues like drug addiction, popular kids show Sesame Street is introducing a new muppet named Karli, who is in foster care and struggles with an addict mother. Karli’s debut is part of the series’ new initiative dubbed the “Sesame Street in Communities” program, providing free resources for community providers on topics like homelessness and trauma, and is available for kids affected by parents struggling with addiction.
In Karli’s first appearance on the show, the muppet opens up about her mother attending support groups to talk about “hard times” to learn to “take better care of herself,” and explains to Elmo that she also attends a special meeting for children going through the same thing. The Sesame Street production team explained that the choice of words on the show is being carefully considered due to the mature nature of the subject, using easier terminology like “addiction” rather than “substance abuse.”
The Sesame Street in Communities program also delves into topics like literacy, mental and emotional health, homelessness and more, in addition to addiction. Take a look at Karli’s debut in the video above, and see more from the Sesame Street initiative below.
