The 'Stranger Things' kids make out in Season 3 and it’s weird - New York Post

Warning: Mild spoilers ahead.

In the first episode of “Stranger Things” Season 3, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) make out.

Last season of Netflix’s hit ’80s nostalgia sci-fi show saw the two pre-teens get together, and it was cute. In Season 3, it’s the summer before they enter high school — which means taking their chaste romance to the next level. And it’s weird.

Now, to be clear, teenagers do this. It’s not unrealistic. But there’s a reason other shows featuring teens use actors who are clearly in their 20s. We can all agree to pretend 26-year-old Cole Sprouse is 16 on “Riverdale” because otherwise, watching a real underage kid do anything sexual is creepy. Same with 22-year-old Noah Centineo in the Netflix hit “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” or the 20-something actors in Netflix’s “Sex Education” and Freeform’s “Cloak & Dagger.”

There’s a reason the internet lost its mind over Maisie Williams having a sex scene on “Game of Thrones” Season 8 — and ironically, unlike the “Stranger Things” kids, both actress and character were not underage at the time.

Eleven and Mike both read as about 12 or 13. They look and act extremely young. This isn’t to say “Stranger Things” shouldn’t have them make out, but we didn’t need to see it. It could have implied their activities happening offscreen.

Society sexualizes young girls enough — consider the creepy countdown websites for celebs such as Emma Watson, marking when she’d turn 18. Consider even 15-year-old Millie Bobby Brown herself, who in real life has an eyebrow raising friendship with Drake, a 31-year-old man. Consider the fact that a politician who allegedly pursued underage girls was taken seriously.

There’s no reason to lean into this further by showing underage antics onscreen. No show exists in a vacuum, and this one has an audience of millions. If “Stranger Things” creators the Duffer brothers knew this was where they wanted to take the story, they should have cast 20-somethings in the roles like any self-respecting CW show. They did it with Steve — actor Joe Keery is 27, and he believably reads as 17 or 18 on the show. Same with 22-year-old Natalie Dyer, who plays his ex-flame Nancy.

Season 3 of “Stranger Things” is a lot of fun, but it’s troubling this doesn’t seem to have occurred to its creators.

“Stranger Things” Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.

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