TL;DR
The Office is the ultimate "comfort watch" for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, despite being a show about a boring mid-2000s paper company. It’s rated TV-14 for a reason: expect heavy sexual innuendo (the "That’s what she said" of it all), workplace harassment used for comedy, and some truly cringey social situations. It’s generally great for ages 12+, but younger kids are often exposed to it via TikTok clips and YouTube shorts.
Quick Links:
- Best for: Middle schoolers and up who love deadpan humor.
- Watch out for: "Scott’s Tots" (the peak of second-hand embarrassment) and Michael’s total lack of HR boundaries.
- Alternative for younger kids: Abbott Elementary or The Good Place.
If your middle schooler is suddenly obsessed with a middle-aged man named Michael Scott, you aren't alone. The Office has reached a level of cultural saturation that rivals Roblox or Minecraft. To kids today, the show isn't a "period piece" about office life; it’s the gold standard of "cringe comedy."
In a world of over-edited influencers and "brain rot" content, the mockumentary style feels strangely authentic to them. They use "Ohio" to describe the weirdness of Dwight Schrute and find the awkward silences more relatable than the high-energy screaming of modern YouTubers. It’s become their background noise—the show they play while doing homework or falling asleep.
While The Office is a comedy, it was written for adults who have actually worked in offices. This means the humor often relies on knowing exactly how inappropriate someone is being.
The "Cringe" Factor
The show thrives on "second-hand embarrassment." For some kids, this is hilarious. For others (especially those with high social anxiety), it can actually be stressful to watch. Michael Scott is a "try-hard"—he desperately wants to be liked and says the wrong thing 99% of the time.
Sexual Innuendo and Language
The show is the birthplace of the "That’s what she said" joke. While there’s no graphic nudity, the dialogue is peppered with sexual references, jokes about office romances, and some mild profanity (mostly "hell," "damn," and the occasional "bitch"). There are entire plotlines centered around characters’ sex lives, though it’s handled through dialogue rather than visuals.
Workplace "Bullying" as Humor
The dynamic between Jim and Dwight is legendary, but let’s be real: Jim is frequently a workplace bully. He gaslights Dwight, messes with his desk, and creates elaborate pranks. Most kids get that this is "TV logic," but it’s worth a conversation if your kid starts thinking putting a sibling’s iPad in Jell-O is a great Friday afternoon activity.
Social Issues and "The 2005 of it All"
The show started in 2005. Some of the jokes—especially in the first couple of seasons—haven't aged perfectly. Michael Scott often makes jokes that are racially insensitive, sexist, or homophobic. The point of the show is that Michael is an idiot for saying these things, but younger kids might miss the satire and just hear the slur or the stereotype.
Ask our chatbot about specific "problematic" episodes of The Office
Ages 5-10: Probably "Mid" (and too mature)
Most kids this age will find it boring. There are no bright colors, no fast cuts, and the plot involves things like health insurance and quarterly profits. More importantly, the nuanced social satire will fly right over their heads. They might see the "Parkour!" memes on YouTube, but the actual show isn't for them.
Ages 11-13: The Sweet Spot
This is when most kids start diving in. They’re old enough to understand that Michael Scott is a "cringe" character and not a role model. This is a great age to co-watch a few episodes to see how they handle the "That’s what she said" humor.
Ages 14+: Green Light
By high school, they’ve likely seen the entire series twice. It’s a safe, "low-stakes" show for them. At this point, the concern isn't the content—it's the "just one more episode" binge-watching cycle that keeps them up until 2:00 AM.
If your kid has finished all nine seasons and is looking for something else to fill the void, here is how the "Office-adjacent" shows stack up:
Often called the "nicer" version of The Office. It has the same mockumentary style but replaces the cynicism with optimism. Leslie Knope is a much better role model than Michael Scott, though the show still carries a TV-14 rating for similar reasons (dialogue and sexual references).
Faster-paced and very popular with the Roblox crowd. It’s a police procedural comedy that deals with more "modern" social issues in a way that’s very accessible for Gen Z.
If you want something that feels like The Office but is actually appropriate for a younger audience (rated TV-PG), this is it. It’s a mockumentary about an underfunded public school. It’s brilliant, funny, and much "cleaner" than Dunder Mifflin.
Another mockumentary style, but focused on family dynamics. It’s very relatable for kids because it features characters their own age growing up.
Check out our full guide on the best mockumentary shows for kids
If you’re watching with your kid, you don’t need to lecture them. Just use the "pause and ask" method when things get weird.
- On Michael’s Behavior: "If your boss talked to you like that in real life, what would you do?" (Great way to talk about workplace boundaries).
- On the Pranks: "Is Jim being a good friend to Dwight here, or is he just being mean?"
- On the Satire: "Why do you think the writers made Michael say something so offensive there? Are we supposed to agree with him or think he’s being ridiculous?"
The Office is ultimately a show about how the people you work with become your surrogate family. It’s mostly harmless for middle schoolers and older, provided they have the maturity to recognize that Michael Scott is the exception to how adults should behave, not the rule.
If they start quoting "Prison Mike" or talking about "threat level midnight," don't worry—they aren't losing their minds. They’ve just found a comfort watch that’s a lot better than most of the "brain rot" currently trending on TikTok.
Next Steps:
- Check out the Screenwise guide to TV ratings to see how TV-14 has changed over the years.
- Learn more about why comfort watching is a stress-relief tool for Gen Z
- If the "That's what she said" jokes are getting old, suggest The Good Place for a show that's just as funny but actually tackles ethics and philosophy.