Explained is basically the antidote to doomscrolling—it takes the chaotic noise of modern life and actually explains what's going on. The Vox partnership means solid journalism and slick production, and at 15-20 minutes per episode, it respects your time.

The challenge for parents: this isn't a "put it on and walk away" show. Episodes range from totally fine for middle schoolers (explaining K-pop or tattoos) to legitimately heavy (political violence, racial injustice, pandemics). There's no content rating listed, which is frustrating, so you'll need to vet individual episodes.

For curious teens who actually want to understand the world—not just react to it on TikTok—this is gold. It builds media literacy and critical thinking. Just don't expect it to compete with Stranger Things for entertainment value. It's vegetables, but like, really well-prepared vegetables that you might actually enjoy.