We recently asked the members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us a time when Disney Channel tackled a serious subject and handled it well. Here are some of their best responses:
Note: Some submissions include topics of eating disorders.
1. When Penny exchanged homes with a Muslim Pakistani student on The Proud Family and their house was vandalized with "Go back to your country."
2. On Hannah Montana, when Oliver educated Miley and Lilly on diabetes because they overreacted when they found out he had it.
3. When Cyrus came out on Andi Mack and was accepted and supported by his friends.
4. When kids were playing with guns on Andi Mack and there was a PSA to parents after the episode to lock up guns if they had any.
5. When Smart Guy showed how predators lure children on the internet through T.J. buying a video game from someone he met online.
6. When Smackle revealed she has Asperger's on Girl Meets World, and for the rest of the show, her friends helped her become more socially and emotionally aware while also respecting her boundaries.
7. When Maddie and London developed bad eating habits on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody because they were body-shamed but learned to love their bodies at the end.
8. When Trish had a cyberbully on Austin and Ally and she opened up to her friends and they helped her confront the bully.
9. When That's So Raven depicted racism in the workforce after a job recruiter wouldn't hire Raven because she's Black.
10. When Riley revealed she had a bully on Girl Meets World and all her friends immediately supported her.
11. When Riley found out her sister on The Famous Jett Jackson had an eating disorder, so their family worked together to seek professional help and be there for her.
12. When Shawn joined a cult on Boy Meets World because he wanted a family and the Matthews family went to him and said they were his family.
13. When T.J., who was 12, drank beer at a party on Smart Guy and spoke about the pressures of fitting in.
14. On Good Luck Charlie, when Bob and Amy met Charlie's friend's gay parents.
15. When Smart Guy displayed everyday racism through Yvette's racist manager following around Black customers and accusing them of stealing.
16. On Liv and Maddie, when Maddie sang “Don’t Need Your Number” in response to the boys at school rating girls by how "hot" they were.
17. When Miranda started skipping meals on Lizzie McGuire because she wanted to lose weight before filming a music video, and Lizzie helped her get the help she needed.
18. On Bunk'd, when Griff, who used to be in juvenile hall, came to camp and everyone treated him differently until they realized he wasn't.
19. When Raven was doing a magazine shoot on That's So Raven and the editor made her look slimmer, so Raven called out their problematic beauty standards.
20. And how The Color of Friendship discussed racism and stereotyping people of color, and taught about the apartheid of South Africa.
