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The Street and Mr. Rogers really grabbed the bull by the horns. In the late 60s and early 70s public perception was catching up with research that children are not just little automatons but have a complex internal emotional world even as little infants. The general assumption before was that you teach at children, you tell them "do this" "don't do this", and they sponge that up to learn. Public programming like these two were some of the first to model teaching with or next to children: that they learn best when their natural curiosity and social needs are satisfied. That they can't just be told what to do and how to feel but need to be immersed.
Sesame Street was ground breaking for children's learning. In a world that was already well on its way to being dominated by television, Sesame Street led the way in responsibility programming and educational content.  It took a lot of work and set standards for things that today seem obvious. 
We need someone similar to step into the gap with social media.