The Bold and the Beautiful is the ultimate "guilty pleasure" that moves at the speed of a glacier, filled with people who have zero boundaries and infinite fashion budgets. If your kid is watching it, they’ve likely stumbled into a world where every problem is solved by a paternity test or a dramatic confrontation in a Forrester Creations office. It isn’t "educational" in the traditional sense, but it is a masterclass in camp, high-stakes melodrama, and how not to handle a breakup.
TL;DR: The Bold and the Beautiful is a daytime soap opera centered on the Forrester fashion dynasty. It’s heavy on romance, betrayal, and corporate sabotage, landing somewhere between a high-fashion runway and a dumpster fire. While it’s not graphic, the constant "who’s the father?" drama and gaslighting make it better suited for older teens who can laugh at the absurdity rather than younger kids who might take the toxic behavior as a blueprint. For better-written drama, check out our best shows for kids list.
At its core, B&B is about two things: high fashion and low-stakes ethics. The show revolves around the Forrester family, their rivals the Logans, and whoever happens to be trying to steal a dress design or a husband this week. It’s glossy, it’s expensive-looking, and it’s remarkably consistent—Brooke Logan and Ridge Forrester have been breaking up and making up since the Reagan administration.
The "chaos" in the title isn't an exaggeration. We’re talking about a show where characters routinely come back from the dead, long-lost siblings appear out of thin air, and "Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome" (SORAS) is in full effect—where a character is a toddler in May and a brooding teenager with a love interest by September.
If you’re wondering if this is "appropriate," you have to look at the type of content rather than just the rating. It’s TV-14, but it’s daytime TV-14.
- The Romance: It’s constant. There’s a lot of heavy breathing, shirtless men in silk robes, and dramatic kissing. However, because it’s broadcast TV, they don’t actually show the "act." It’s all about the implication and the post-coital drama.
- The Conflict: It’s rarely physical. You’ll get the occasional slap or a character falling off a balcony into a convenient body of water, but the real violence is emotional. It’s gaslighting, manipulation, and corporate espionage.
- The Ethics: This is the sticking point. No one in this show is a role model. Characters regularly cheat on their spouses with their spouse’s siblings or parents. If your kid is watching this, they are seeing a world where loyalty is a suggestion and "I’m sorry" is usually followed by another betrayal.
Most kids aren't seeking out The Bold and the Beautiful on their own. Usually, it’s on in the background at a grandparent’s house or it’s the "waiting room" show. But for teens, there’s a certain "so bad it’s good" quality that can be addictive.
It’s basically a long-form TikTok drama with a multi-million dollar wardrobe budget. The stakes are impossibly high for things that don't matter, and for a teenager navigating the actual high stakes of high school, watching adults lose their minds over a fashion line can be weirdly cathartic.
If your kid is into the "glamorous people doing terrible things" vibe of B&B, there are shows that do it with better writing, faster pacing, and a bit more self-awareness.
The "Prestige" Mess: Succession
If the draw is the corporate rivalry and family members stabbing each other in the back for a throne, Succession is the gold standard. It’s much darker and the language is R-rated, but it’s a brilliant look at how wealth and power rot a family tree. It’s B&B with an Emmy-winning brain.
The Satire: Jane the Virgin
This is the perfect pivot. It’s a love letter to the telenovela (the soap opera’s more energetic cousin). It has all the tropes—evil twins, amnesia, dramatic reveals—but it handles them with a wink and a lot of heart. It’s actually about something, unlike B&B, which is mostly about who is standing in which foyer.
The Fashion Drama: Emily in Paris
For the kid who actually likes the fashion world aspect of the Forresters, Emily in Paris offers the same glossy, unrealistic "career" vibes but with a much faster tempo and a lot more sunshine. It’s fluff, but it’s high-quality fluff.
The Classic Teen Soap: The O.C.
If they want the "rich people in California" aesthetic, go back to the early 2000s. The O.C. has the love triangles and the mansions, but the characters actually feel like humans you might want to know (mostly).
If B&B is a fixture in your house, don't sweat it. It’s not going to "corrupt" a kid, but it is a great opportunity to point out how ridiculous these people are.
The "Wait, Really?" Conversation: When a character gets back with an ex who literally kidnapped them (it happens), just ask: "Do you think that’s how people actually act, or is this just writers trying to keep their jobs?" Helping a kid see the "seams" in the storytelling—the ways the show manipulates logic to keep the plot going—is a great media literacy win.
The "Red Flag" Check: B&B is a catalog of red flags. Ask your teen which character they think is the most toxic. It’s a low-stakes way to talk about boundaries, gaslighting, and what a healthy relationship doesn't look like.
The hardest part of The Bold and the Beautiful isn't the content—it's the volume. There are over 9,000 episodes. It never ends. If your kid gets hooked, they aren't "finishing" a series; they’re joining a cult of personality that has been running since 1987.
Q: What age is The Bold and the Beautiful appropriate for? It’s generally fine for ages 14 and up. Younger kids will be bored to tears by the endless talking, but teens might get sucked into the romance. Just be ready to explain why everyone is constantly marrying their step-brother.
Q: Is there nudity in The Bold and the Beautiful? No. It’s broadcast TV. You’ll see a lot of skin—lingerie, shirtless guys, characters in bed together—but everything stays "PG-13" in terms of what’s actually shown.
Q: Is it okay for a 10-year-old? It’s "okay" in that they won't see anything graphic, but the themes (infidelity, paternity fraud, corporate theft) are way over their head and frankly, pretty cynical. There are much better ways to spend an hour. Check our digital guide for elementary school for better picks.
Q: Why do people say it’s toxic? Because the characters' primary mode of communication is manipulation. The show rewards "winning" at all costs, and characters rarely face long-term consequences for being terrible people.
The Bold and the Beautiful is high-calorie, low-nutrition TV. It’s fine as a background distraction, but if your kid is looking for a story that actually rewards their attention, point them toward something with a bit more soul.
- Explore our best shows for kids list for dramas that actually have a point.
- If they love the fashion, check out our best apps for kids and look for design or creativity tools.
- Ask our chatbot for a custom watch list
