New Netflix Show Abandons Kids As Young As Two In Public

The documentary is described by the streaming service as 'feel-good', 'family' viewing, though it's safe to say at first glance the notion of making children fend for themselves doesn't feel like the most joyous concept in the world.

Though the kids often start off nervous, it seems the 'feel-good' aspect of Old Enough comes from watching them conquer the challenges without help and revel in their newfound independence.

The show has been airing with the title Hajimete no Otsukai (My First Errand) for 30 years in Japan, indicating there's definitely some entertainment to be gleaned from watching children take on the world. That's not to say that parents should start sending their toddlers out to the shop for a pint of milk, though.

The paths taken by the children are inspected by both parents and production staff to account for any dangerous roads or 'suspicious persons', and neighbours in the area are informed of the situation so they don't panic at the sight of an unaccompanied toddler wandering the streets.

Netflix's episodes of Old Enough are less than 20 minutes long, rather than the three-hour runtime the documentary has in Japan, meaning it can provide quick snippets of entertainment for anyone looking to see how the toddlers might fare with their tasks.

It's undoubtedly an intriguing concept, and the show has received praise from viewers as well as warnings that the show will make you cry.

"Okay the best show on netflix is a japanese reality show called “old enough” where toddlers go on errands by themselves and you go along with them and you WILL cry. you’re gonna cry when their parents cry because they’re proud of them, when they face and overcome a setback on the errand, when they complete the errand, because their raincoat is just very small, etc," one viewer wrote.

The documentary series really sounds like one that needs to be watched in order to be understood, so go and stream Old Enough on Netflix now.