The newly added Netflix series Old Enough appears to have children as young as two running errands solo.
Old Enough features toddlers taking on tasks such as shopping for groceries, using public transport apparently on their own, and walking a mile to and from their homes.
The show is filmed in Japan and has been a hit with viewers for more than 30 years - but is new to US viewers.
The children are followed by cameras from a distance as they complete the errands and assignments set by the show creators and their parents.
Each adventure the child goes on is meticulously planned and sanctioned by their parents. If anything were to go wrong, the camera and safety personnel stand by ready to intervene.
Netflix recently added the first season of the show onto its platform, but viewers and experts are torn on the concept.
As per Insider, Lenore Skenazy - the president of nonprofit Let Grow - said that she was delighted by the show. Let Grow advocates childhood independence and Skenazy believes that the show encourages this.
"It's nice to turn on the TV and a see a show where kids run errands and are happy and successful," Skenazy said. "It's not another season of 'Law and Order' where they're kidnapped when they're outside."
Users online shared the same sentiments about the show:
However, Tanith Carey, an author of books on parenting, told Insider that while she broadly supports the idea of the show, the tasks should be "appropriate for their development."
Carey also took issue with the idea of children being made "figures of fun and laughing at them by asking them to perform tasks they are not developmentally ready for."
A lot of people questioned whether the show is realistic in representing Japanese culture.
As mentioned by NBC, Matthew Marr, an associate professor of sociology at Florida International University, explained that the show's popularity in Japan is because it's rare for parents to send their children out on their first errand.
Marr further stated that the children on Old Enough live in rural areas, which are perceived to be "safer" than urban ones.
You can stream Old Enough on Netflix.