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A mom has weighed in on a fiery debate, after asking the internet whether she should allow her daughters, aged 2 and 5, to listen to current female pop icons such as Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter.
Ali Palmer (@aliunfiltered_), 34, from Dallas, Texas, took to Instagram to share the discussion, which had amassed 315,000 views and 6,289 likes at the time of writing.
“The debate can be super heated (as seen in comments). One side says ABSOLUTELY NOT, I won’t let my child listen to popular songs/artists and what other kids listen to will impact yours because kids will repeat and teach your kid,” Palmer told Newsweek.
Palmer explained that she had recently seen a reel about an influencer taking her young child to a Gracie Abrams concert, which drew widespread criticism online for being inappropriate.
A split image of Ali Palmer explaining her take on the debate.
A split image of Ali Palmer explaining her take on the debate.
aliunfiltered_/aliunfiltered_
Gracie Abrams is an American singer-songwriter known for her emotional pop music.
Palmer recalled a conversation at a party with other mothers, where one expressed surprise that her daughter, age five, didn’t know who Taylor Swift was.
Drawing on her decade-long experience in education as a teacher and administrator, Palmer said she has seen the effects of children being overly influenced by external sources.
While she acknowledges that exposure is inevitable, she is choosing to delay it for her daughters.
“For me, I don’t need my five year old going to school or to a playdate singing explicative lyrics. I’ve heard the argument, ‘well we listened as kids’ and ‘they’re going to learn anyway’ and while those sentiments may both be true, I don’t think they’re strong enough reasons FOR ME to permit my child to listen to explicative/suggestive songs.
“My five year old loves Daniel Tiger and Bluey and Disney princesses – I want to keep it like that for as long as I can. I am in no rush for her to grow up,” she added.
She also highlighted the intelligence and curiosity of children, noting that they naturally want to understand the world around them.
“I don’t think it’s fair to expose them to something I am not willing to explain. For example, ‘what’d she do to get you off’- I just am not ready to explain that to my child.”
Palmer is referencing a famous lyric from Abram’s 2024 “That’s So True”, a scornful anthem envisioning an ex with a new lover.
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 13: Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams are seen on November 13, 2023 in New York City.
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 13: Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams are seen on November 13, 2023 in New York City.
DAMEBK/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor/GC Images
Experts caution that music can have a powerful impact on young listeners. Keesha Scott, cofounder of national behavioral health company Guardian Recovery told Newsweek: “Music is powerful for kids—it can calm the nervous system, spark curiosity, and even become a healthy outlet during stressful moments.
“I’ve seen firsthand how music supported my own daughter through intense anxiety. But with young children, exposure matters. At ages four or five, they’re sponges, absorbing not only the melody but also the messages.”
She stressed that exposure to such music can impact children in the same way as video games, social media and mature TV content.
“That means listening alongside your kids, having conversations about lyrics, and setting boundaries when the content feels too mature,” she advised.
Instagram users weighed in with a variety of opinions.
“Sabrina has openly admitted that her music is going to be for older audiences because she GREW UP. Almost 85 percent of Taylor’s music is all age appropriate,” said Katie.
“A lot of Taylor Swifts music is perfectly appropriate for kids. If you’re worried about bad words, she didn’t add any into her songs until more recent albums, and a lot of the songs are either about sweet young love, or friendships, or parents. As someone who has been a Swiftie since I was 13 and Speak Now was coming out, I plan to raise my kids listening to Taylor,” said another mom.
“I agree I don’t care about others parenting as long as it doesn’t affect my kids. Taylor has more kid appropriate songs. And Gracie and Sabrina definitely do not,” shared another user.
“I was singing AC/DC and Motle crue as a kid…I turned out fine,” shared another user.
“Personally as a teenager and a fan of all of them I think I think that Chappell roan’s music and some of Gracie’s music is a little bit too mature especially for like a 5 year old ..more so Chappell, however like you do you. I would just be careful not to expose my child to that stuff TOO early.
“Cuz I think songs like casual and like red wine supernova could cause follow-up questions like ‘what does knee deep in the passenger seat mean’,” said Chrystiana.
“I wonder if those parents were fans of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera or Miley Cyrus or Demi Lovato when they were that age,” added Courtney.
“Just stop and think about what you yourself listened to at that age. Trust me, the kid will be fine,” shared another user.
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