The animated musical series Hazbin Hotel has gained a significant following despite having only one season released so far, with a second season set for 2025. But is Hazbin Hotel for kids? The titular hotel is located in Hell, and its proprietor is none other than Lucifer’s daughter, who offers sinners a chance at redemption to enter Heaven. Because the show originally rose to fame on YouTube, it has a lot of buzz among younger viewers. Here are some things to consider as you decide if it’s right for your family.
The TV Parental Guidelines rating for Hazbin Hotel is TV-MA. This category is used for content that is suitable for mature audiences of 17 and older.
Common Sense Media, an independent nonprofit that provides ratings for media in order to help inform parents, agrees with the 17+ rating. They cite rampant sex, profanity, and violence as reasons for their decision.
It would take nearly this entire article to list all of the profanity and questionable language used in Hazbin Hotel. Bottom line: the characters have the exact vocabulary you might expect from a group taking up residence in the fiery pits of Hell. If strong language is a deal-breaker for you, this is definitely a show to keep your child away from.
While nudity is minimal and is limited to non-frontal views, there are plenty of sexualized references to naked bodies. Sex is also a hot topic in this underworld. One main character is a sex worker under the thumb of a violent pimp. Sex is sometimes shown, and there are plenty of innuendos that may or may not go over your child’s head. There are also regular threats of sexual assault, made both in earnest and in jest, and sexual references are frequent and often graphic.
There’s no getting around the fact that Hazbin Hotel is an extremely violent show. (Granted, any violence is animated, which does make the impact a little less intense.) The pilot sets the tone right out of the gate, opening on the bloody aftermath of extermination day: an annual event where any sinner or demon found in plain sight is violently culled. Weapons of every sort abound and are regularly used. Characters pour gasoline on their heads and set themselves on fire, and sexual violence is a common occurrance.
Hazbin Hotel certainly strives to strike fear into its audiences. The show is a horror series set in Hell, after all. The frequent violence is likely to scare many children, especially younger ones.
While substance use isn’t as rampant in Hazbin Hotel as violence and sex, it’s certainly present. The show features a lot of drinking and some instances of drug use and references.
Hazbin Hotel (or, as our editor accidentally wrote, Has Been Hotel) is a popular series with a lot of hype online that has likely made its way into your child’s feed. However, parents should be aware that, despite the show being animated, Hazbin Hotel is not for kids. Due to frequent violence, sexual situations, strong language, and mature themes, this show isn’t recommended for kids under 17.
If you’re concerned about what your child may be watching, BrightCanary can help you supervise what they’re watching and other online activities. Hazbin Hotel is available on Amazon Prime, which BrightCanary doesn’t cover. However, with BrightCanary monitoring, you’ll be able to see if your child is looking up content related to the show — and anything else concerning — on YouTube, Google, text messages, or social media.
It’s a great way to get insights into what media your children are interested in, so you can get ahead of any potential red flags.
