Parents' Guide to

Born in Synanon

TV Paramount+ Drama 2023
People stand together with hands linked on a blue background. Text reads “Leaving a cult, finding the truth.”

Common Sense Media Review

By Ty'Kira Smalls , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Docuseries shows how a rehab center turned into a cult.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Rod Mullen and other demonstrator shaving boys' heads in classroom in Born in Synanon.
  • Sandra Rodgers-Hare shows her daughter Cassidy the building in Santa Monica where the Synanon infant program was.
  • Cassidy Arkin in tv series Born in Synanon.

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What's the Story?

BORN IN SYNANON follows the mystery and legacy of Synanon, a rehabilitation center for people struggling with substance abuse. Cassidy Arkin was six years old when she left Synanon, a place that her parents had recalled as a utopia of sorts. But this supposed salvation was referred to as anything but in the media. What happened to the safe space that Cassidy, her parents, and other community members remembered so fondly of? How did founder Chuck Dederich's vision of redemption turn into a violent cult?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Born in Synanon comes across as a standard cult docu, but has an intriguing twist of revealing the original good intentions of the center. The dissonance between members recalling fond memories of the place to its sinister legacy is interesting to watch. The strong language and violence make this one more suitable for older teens, but it can open up conversations about cults and how they operate.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the groups of people targeted in Born in Synanon. Though it originally was a drug rehabilitation center, soon people not dealing with those issues also came into the community. What do you think attracted them to Synanon? What puts people at risk of being targeted by a cult?

  • What are the lasting effects that Synanon has had on its former members and their families? How do past members cope with the Synanon they knew and what it eventually became?

TV Details

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