How Will AI Shape Our Kids?

AI has been around for years, but it has dominated conversation in the past year with the launch of generative AI tools like ChatGPT. The impact of artificial intelligence on kids has created a mix of particular interest and concern, leading to some big questions:

Will AI ultimately do kids more good than harm, or more harm than good? Is AI a sort of progress that we should be excited about? Are the trade-offs worth it?

And as Common Sense Media put it, not only: What can AI do, and what can’t it do? But also: What should AI do, and what shouldn’t it do?

There is a lot to think about when it comes to the role that AI plays in the lives of Gen Alpha. Here are some of the considerations about AI that are, in our view, the most significant:

The Pros

• AI empowers kids to do more: With AI, kids can do countless things on their own that they may have never done otherwise, from changing the music in the car from the backseat to creating apps by speaking aloud their vision (instead of voice to text, think voice to code).

• It takes information access to the next level: The internet was the ultimate gamechanger in providing people (including kids!) with access to information – but now AI is making that access even more convenient, intuitive, and curated to those who request it.

• AI can facilitate creativity: While some worry that AI will squash creative thinking, it also has the power to take kids’ ideas to new places. Generative AI programs can help kids communicate their creative ideas (either in writing or through visuals), bringing those ideas to life.

The Cons

• AI can do the thinking for kids: Generative AI has prompted many to fear that students have been handed a shortcut to writing essays and completing homework assignments. Not only is this a threat to kids’ intellectual growth, it’s creating worry that AI will diminish kids’ “grit characteristics” – otherwise known as their ability to persevere when they are challenged.

Additionally, the content that AI produces is not always accurate or appropriately contextualized. It can feed kids false information, and kids may lack the ability to do the executive-level critical thinking needed to evaluate the integrity of AI’s output.

• AI takes advantage of kids’ malleability: With every input that a kid provides an AI program, the algorithms use that data to shape what the AI returns back. This creates an imbalanced dynamic between child and AI, in that the AI program is in control over the information it provides an impressionable child – all without the child recognizing it.

• It challenges kids’ right safety and privacy: AI may generate or surface content that is inappropriate for kids to access, and there are also privacy concerns to worry about. AI’s facial recognition capabilities can be used for identity theft or for shaping a child’s digital identity before they have autonomy to create it themselves. And just like other internet platforms, AI can also be a source for capturing and using private information that kids may unknowingly feed it.

The In-Betweens

• AI offers boundless convenience but perpetuates instant gratification: By tapping into AI, nearly any request can now be voiced into thin air with immediate results. Many wonder if this is necessarily a good thing for kids. Even without AI, parents are already battling against kids’ expectations for instant gratification.

• It’s become like a friend: In the minds of kids, AI can take on the role of a digital companion. Not only is it always there to help and to interact, but AI entertains and often has an identity with a personality and a sense of humor. It’s not unusual to hear kids ask their smart speakers questions like, “How are you doing today, Alexa?” And while this can feel like a sweet, innocent relationship, it calls into question how this will impact kids’ emotional development.

Experts suggest that as parents navigate the uncertainty surrounding AI, they should opt for education instead of avoidance with kids. In other words, the best way to mitigate the risks and harness the opportunities of AI for kids is to make sure they understand its capabilities and limitations – recognizing that AI is here to stay.

Common Sense Media is a great resource for helping navigate the murky waters of AI. Click to check out their AI Initiative on Understanding the Impact of AI On Our Kids.

AI: A Resource for Humans, Not a Human Resource

I have to admit: AI makes me nervous. 

I’m not sure this is a radical opening line…I suspect most people out there have a degree of apprehension and uncertainty about what lies ahead for the future of AI.

At the same time, I know I’ve got to embrace it. AI is the future, and there’s nothing that says my age more without actually saying my age than being resistant to new forms of technology.

And yes, I know. The benefits of AI are many: streamlining work processes; reducing workload; tackling time-consuming, manual tasks; adding objectivity to analysis…the list goes on.

Still, the concern continues to gnaw at me.

Why am I nervous? Well, my work product is my intellectual capital, and my fear is that AI will undermine my intellectual capital and threaten my value. Basically, I’m nervous that one day, I’ll be out of a job.

But this week, I’ve been on the receiving end of some reflections that have helped ground my perspective on the role of AI in my professional life:

1. AI still needs a shepherd. AI outputs still require critical thinking to mold them into something meaningful. Certainly, AI systems have incredibly sophisticated aggregating and synthesizing capabilities, but ultimately, the output has to be shaped into something with real-world relevance.

2. AI can spark new ways of thinking: By nature, our human ability to consider possibilities is limited; by adding another (automated) brain to the case, we’re allowing for more possibilities to emerge: inspiration for new ideas, different avenues to consider, and rebuttals that may push our thinking. In this way, AI doesn’t replace thinking – instead, it can make it more expansive.

3. Human experience matters. AI can’t feel, and it hasn’t been shaped by lived experience. These two facts are critical when considering the limitations of AI and the advantages of the mind (especially in the qualitative research industry). After all, what is the most important quality of a killer insight? That it derives from a core human truth.

4. The only person who is going to be eaten up by AI is the person who doesn’t adopt it. You know the phrase, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em?” It applies here. Those who are bound to be the biggest losers to AI are the ones who keep it at arm’s length, and those who want to stay ahead of the technology will find a way to make it work for them.

I may not be sure about where AI’s future lies (and where mine lies in relationship to it), but these reflections have helped me to re-center and remember that the human mind is not something that can be made dispensable by AI.

State of Gen Z and Social Media: 2022

If there’s one universal truth about social media, it’s that it changes all the time. Platforms rise and fall in popularity, particularly among Gen Z who were raised with social media and are now trying to reconcile their relationship with it. 

Social media has ingrained itself in Gen Z’s social lives, in their media consumption, and in youth culture. But now, Gen Z is pushing back against the social networks they grew up alongside. They are wary and mistrustful of tech companies that, in their view, have prioritized revenue over community building, continuously changed the rules, and copycatted their competitors. (Case in point: July’s “Make Instagram Instagram Again” movement.) And at the same time, Gen Z is starting to grow tired of the mental and emotional toll that social media has taken. 

Sara Fischer, Axios media reporter, writes about Gen Z’s impact on social media. In her article, she shares how Gen Z is now choosing to engage with social media and asserts that their behavior is universally shaping social media as we know it.

She cites Pew Research which reported a decline in social media use from 2019-2021 among 18-29 year-olds – the only generation to be participating less in social media than they had been in recent years.

However, TikTok has bucked this trend as its popularity among Gen Z skyrocketed since 2019.  The app was the first of its kind to provide personalized, short-form videos that favored real over manufactured content – which is exactly what Gen Z wanted. And while TikTok is Gen Z’s preferred social tool, it’s become a discovery tool for them as well. Just last month, Google revealed that 40% of Gen Z prefers to search for information visually on platforms like TikTok over text searches on Google.

A similarly high level of engagement on TikTok also exists among Gen Z’s teen cohort. Pew Research charted the popularity of social media platforms among teens, 13-17, based on surveys they conducted in 2014-15 and 2022. 

They found that next to YouTube (which is in a class of its own) TikTok emerged as the most popular social media app in 2022 among 13-17-year-olds, outpacing Instagram and Snapchat, while Facebook’s teen share dropped dramatically.

As Gen Z continues to mold the future of the internet, we see teens and young adults pulling away from traditional social media in favor of platforms that deliver more personalized, authentic and original content (whether from mainstream TikTok or new apps like BeReal).

In turn, Fischer points out that top platforms have backed away from positioning themselves as social media providers.

TikTok is billing itself an ‘entertainment platform’; Snapchat: ‘a camera company’; Meta was a brand born from the desire to position the company around the metaverse instead of social media. 

2022 reflects a desire for a new chapter in social media, and as it has always been, it’s up to the younger generation to define where social media is headed next.

BeReal: A Real Pushback to Instagram?

BeReal is the newest social media platform to take off, having experienced exponential growth in 2022. If you haven’t heard of the app, BeReal, coined as the “anti-Instagram,” has a simple premise:

Every day at a different time, users are asked to post a photo of exactly what they’re doing (which also includes an inset selfie) within 2 minutes of receiving the prompt to post. Everyone on the app is asked to post at the same time, and once you do, you can see all of your friends’ posts that day. The app aims to show life’s real moments, not its curated ones, and unlike mainstream social media platforms, users have no follower count or likes to monitor.  

Growing at a rate of 315% in the first few months of 2022 and amassing three-quarters of its total app downloads during that period, the app is gaining momentum on college campuses, making it likely that its popularity will trickle down to teenagers if the app maintains this pace.

For now, there are no advertisers, and the app wants influencers to stay on other social media apps and away from BeReal. But there are questions about whether the platform can continue to live in accordance with its mission. After all, many of the same Silicon Valley investors who have been involved in Meta and Twitter have invested in BeReal, and questions loom about how the app will drive revenue without advertising.

We’ll be watching closely to see if BeReal’s sincere approach to social media becomes a relic of the past, or if its commitment to authenticity represents a turning point in how younger generations use social media. 

Light Reading

In a recent focus group study, we heard repeatedly from kids that they don’t read much for fun.  We were curious to learn if this group of kids was unique in their reading habits or if this was a broader trend among Generation Alpha.  It didn’t take long to conclude that these kids were not an anomaly; kids today read much less for personal enjoyment than generations before them. 

According to a study done by the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), the amount of time kids spend reading for pleasure has dropped to its lowest point since the mid-1980s. In 2020, less than half of 9-year-olds surveyed indicated that they read for enjoyment daily, and 16% said that they never or hardly ever read for fun during their down time.  While numbers for both boys and girls were on the decline, girls were more likely to read for personal enjoyment than boys, and younger kids reported reading more than older kids.

Poor literacy rates are a contributing factor: kids who struggle with reading are not likely to read for fun, and the evidence suggests that there are many kids struggling just to read.  In 2019, the National Report Card showed that about two-thirds of US students were not reading on grade level. The pandemic then magnified this problem.  On average, students in the US lost up to a half a year of literacy instruction during remote learning.  Nationally, in the spring of 2021, reading scores on standardized tests dropped between 3 and 6 percentile points on every grade level.

It's no surprise that another contributing factor to the decline is the amount of time kids spend on screens. According to a study done by Common Sense Media in 2021, online media consumption in tweens and teens has grown 17% since the start of the pandemic.  In 2021, tweens spent an average of 5 hours and 33 minutes per day online, an increase of 49 minutes from 2019.  Activities such as gaming, watching videos and social media all contributed to that rise.  The study also indicated that daily, 65% of 8-12-year-olds watch online videos, and 1 in 5 are on some form of social media.

According to Nat Malkus, the deputy director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute “…. screens are wearing down the attention span that it takes to develop a sense of reading for pleasure.” Online reading such as that on social media posts is designed specifically to be absorbed quickly and easily, and researchers have found that reading this way can develop bad habits that decrease comprehension.

The downward trajectory is of concern because reading is so important to the holistic development of the child. Reading not only benefits kids academically but fosters their social and emotional skills as well.  Kids who read for pleasure daily tend to have better vocabulary, spelling and math skills and generally score higher on assessments. Additionally, according to Kids Read Now, kids who read for fun have more compassion and better decision-making and social skills. Reading allows kids to see other perspectives and creates opportunities for self-reflection. And when kids read with their parents, it can be a conduit for discussions about issues and subjects like diversity.

There are things that can be done practically to improve reading skills and help kids foster a love of reading and literature.  Adults as reading role models are very important.  Kids who see their parents read can be inspired to do some reading of their own.  Another way to get kids to fall in love with literature is by reading books aloud to them.  This is especially important for kids who are struggling readers since it gives them access to literature that they are not able to read themselves and can even serve a motivator for independent reading. Finally, setting aside time for reading at home, giving kids access to the books they want to read, and limiting screen time can all increase literacy and comprehension skills, foster lifelong habits, and create a positive relationship with reading.

The Push for Gen Zen

Mindfulness. It’s a word that has become mainstream in recent decades and a practice that has landed a prominent place in the larger conversation regarding kids’ wellness and mental health.

Mindfulness is the practice of placing emphasis on the present moment and applying a gentle and accepting attitude towards it, whatever it may be. The skill does not come naturally in our hurried society and is one that must be taught and intentionally incorporated into daily routines. 

The idea of practicing mindfulness has been around for thousands of years, mostly as a part of a religious practice or experience. In the late 70s, its medical benefits were realized, and it became a popular secular method of reducing stress in patients. In recent decades, public interest has soared, research has been conducted to validate the practice, and teaching mindfulness has become common in the workplace and schools.

Most recently, in an effort to cope with the stresses of the pandemic, people of all ages have sought out different forms of mindfulness, and a holistic focus on wellness has trickled down to kids who are currently experiencing more stress and anxiety than ever before. 

Research suggests that kids reap many benefits from practicing mindfulness, including decreased stress and anxiety, increased happiness, and improved focus and academic performance. A 2019 study conducted by TranformEd in collaboration with the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University found students reported feeling less stressed and more in control after being taught mindfulness techniques and practices over the course of eight weeks. In turn, many schools are incorporating mindfulness training into curriculum at all grade levels.

Products supporting mindfulness, mental health and overall wellness for kids are everywhere and are expected to increase in popularity in the next several years. According to a study by Infinity Business Insights released in April 2022, products and toys designed to decrease stress in kids are expected to experience significant growth between 2022 to 2028.

Mindfulness products and toys for kids are designed with a clear purpose: to help kids develop and nurture the skill of being present, create opportunities to verbalize and process feelings, and serve as tools to help kids focus and decrease stress.

Although puzzles and building toys have inadvertently served a similar function in the past, there is a push now to create products with this purpose solely in mind.  These products can take different forms, such as dolls/plushies, games, tactile sensory objects, journals and more.

In 2020, Mattel partnered with popular wellness app Headspace to come out with the Barbie Wellness Collection, a series of dolls designed to “raise awareness around nurturing overall emotional well-being through mindfulness exercises.” The collection includes Breathe with Me Barbie, a doll that guides girls through meditation exercises with the push of a button.  There are also a variety of plushies on the market such as Omi the Elephant that function in a similar fashion.

In recent years, fidget toys have been all the rage with kids. One example is  Pop Its!—a small piece of silicone that resembles bubble wrap. Kids say “popping” the bubbles helps them focus and manage stress and anxiety. Other popular tactile, sensory toys include stress balls, glitter jars and handheld mazes.

There are also many apps dedicated to promoting mindfulness. Some leading apps like Headspace and Calm have specific kid content, while apps like  Moshi and Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame (Sesame Street) have been designed specifically for kids. These apps offer guided meditations, breathing exercises, and storytelling to help kids practice being present and calm, reduce stress and anxiety and get to sleep easily.

Music streaming apps, such as Spotify and Amazon Music also offer mindfulness playlists for kids; and in February of 2021, LEGO released White Noise, “a new playlist designed to help listeners find a moment of relaxation in their busy lives.” Each track was created using only sounds made by LEGO bricks!  

YouTube and YouTube Kids have a multitude of videos to help kids learn about and practice self-care and mindful living – from lo-fi music to mindful seeing, hearing, and breathing activities to yoga and guided meditations.

Podcasts also encourage kids and families to practice mindfulness. The Imagine Neighborhood, Mrs. Honeybee, and Be Calm on Ahway Island are just a few podcasts designed specifically for kids. They use storytelling as an avenue for teaching kids about managing feelings and emotions.

As a culture, expect to see a continued emphasis placed on kids’ overall wellness and mental health and a desire for kid products, services and content that assists consumers in teaching and encouraging mindfulness. It will be exciting to see what innovative ideas emerge as brands rise to meet this growing need.

Making Moves in the Metaverse

Recognizing the impact that the metaverse will have on Gen Z and Gen Alpha in particular, brands looking to capture the kid and young adult market are racing to find their way into the metaverse.

As the buzz around the metaverse grows, here is a list of the latest brands dipping their toes in this new alternate reality:

Disney files a virtual world patent: In December 2021, Disney went public with the company’s exploration of a theme park metaverse, filing a patent for a ‘virtual-world simulator.’ While no one knows exactly how the patent would be used (or even if it will be used), it may involve a VR experience for theme park guests that doesn’t require a headset or wearable. In the meantime, Disney also integrated augmented reality into its theme park experience with the recent launch of MagicBand+.

LEGO, Sony and Epic partner to create a kid-safe metaverse: Fortnite creator Epic Games, electronics conglomerate Sony, and toy giant The LEGO Group announced a partnership last week to create a kid-friendly metaverse that aspires to put kids’ safety, privacy and control at the center of the virtual experience.

Music artists perform in Fortnite: In January 2022, Tones and I was the latest in a string of artists to perform a concert in the Fortnite virtual world (following artists like Ariana Grande, Marshmello and Travis Scott). While Epic Games hasn’t released its 2022 concert schedule, it polled its followers last November on their favorite brands, characters, celebrities and performers – presumably to shape what collaborations they take on. Rumors are swirling as hopefuls speculate that Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish are on the list to perform in Fortnite in 2022.

Coca Cola, Nike and Mattel create NFTs: Coca-Cola and Nike have enlisted new partners to create collectible NFTs for the brands in the form of Coca-Cola gear and Nike shoes. Mattel has recently done the same, releasing Hot Wheels- and Barbie-designer collaboration NFTs.

Chipotle connects the metaverse to real life: According to a press release from the brand issued last week, Chipotle announced it is launching “a new simulation experience that will challenge players to roll burritos in the metaverse to earn Burrito Bucks…and exchange them for an entrée code” that can be redeemed on the app or online.

Luxury brands bring high fashion into the digital world: As part of a long-term strategy to engage the younger demographic, Balenciaga and Gucci are selling digital outfits and accessories in Fortnite and Roblox respectively, while Louis Vuitton started its own virtual world Louis the Game where one can dress one’s avatar in LV gear, collect items and seek out digital collectibles.

As all of these announcements pour in, one thing seems certain: this is only the beginning as brands jockey to connect with consumers in the metaverse.

Ready or Not: Here Comes the Metaverse!

Just when you thought you had the digital world all figured out, here comes the metaverse.

A digital extension of your real life. A shared virtual reality space where you can talk to friends, hang out, play games, watch movies, go to concerts, learn something new, shop till you drop, buy digital stuff—basically do everything you do now but in an immersive, global, online space.

Described as the new frontier in social technology, the metaverse is envisioned to be an evolution of the internet that will enable users to move beyond browsing the web to inhabiting it. Think of it as sort of like having the superpower to “beam” yourself anywhere, at any time, to do anything with anyone. 

If you know kids playing Roblox or FortNite, they are already way out in front of the rest of us, driving the future of the metaverse; designing worlds, buying digital stuff, interacting in places they want to visit, socializing with people they want to be with, choosing how they look as an avatar, and forming virtual personalities of their own making.

Some people believe the metaverse will have a more profound impact on the world than the smart phone and will radically shift the way we live, behave and interact with each other in the future. 

So how will this innovation take shape over the next decade? And who will shape it? Will it be a place where a few big players set the rules and control how the space is created and utilized? Or will it be a decentralized place where communities and individuals determine how things are run?

It’s a lot to take in! Over the next few months, MLN Research will dig into how kids are feeling about the metaverse. Are they excited? Curious? Wary? Interested? Concerned? What is their vision of the metaverse? What is their understanding of it? Is a digital life more compelling than a physical life? 

So many questions. Stay tuned for the answers.

From the Soccer Field to the Online Battlefield

Over the past fifteen years, if there has been one thing that has typified the modern American family, it has been that they have been on the go, darting from scheduled activity to scheduled activity – and many of those activities have revolved around organized sports. 

Much has been discussed around the topic of post-pandemic family life, including the question of whether families will return to lives filled with weekday practices and weekend tournaments. And while many believe that families will be back to this lifestyle before we know it, there is some evidence to suggest otherwise, begging a second look at the future of traditional sports.

In September 2021, The Aspen Institute and Utah State University conducted a nationwide survey among parents of kids aged 6-18 who regularly play traditional sports. Here are a few of their key findings:

• About 30% of child athletes have reported losing interest in organized sports and do not want to return back to the sports they were playing before the pandemic began.

• Some parents have also been hesitant about returning back to team-based sports due to health concerns.

• The pandemic has impacted the business of organized sports and in some cases, the leagues and organizations kids in which formerly took part no longer exist.

And while there are signs of a slow return back to organized sports, there has been rapid growth in e-sports. 

E-sports refer to competitive, multi-player, organized video gaming, and if you’re only thinking about games like Madden or NBA2K, let me introduce you to titles not based on traditional sports: Super Smash Bros, Fortnite, Dota 2, League of Legends and Overwatch. E-sports can be every bit as formalized as traditional sports – with leagues sponsored by community centers like the YMCA that include strategy sessions with coaches and tournaments on the weekend.

The pandemic certainly promoted the popularity of e-sports among kids, but the reality is that organized traditional sports had started to decline before COVID, and e-sports began its ascendency in the 2010s. 

As The New York Times writer Joe Drape put it in his article on the e-sports generation, the battle between e-sports and traditional sports is not a zero-sum game – kids often enjoy both – but there are trend lines that reflect the decline of organized physical sports and the rise of its virtual counterpart. 

As kids are now digital streaming natives and nearly 9 in 10 teenagers have iPhones, it’s no wonder that a youth phenomenon like e-sports exists, and that it is as natural an option for recreation as physical sports. 

What's #trending for Teens and Kids

Fair to say, many marketers develop kid-targeted strategies based on the idea that what’s trending with teens and tweens is trending with younger kids.

But in reality, teenagers/tweens and elementary-aged kids participate in trends in different ways.

It’s not until kids approach puberty that they more fully develop their own independent tastes, discover their own voices, and enter the social and cultural discourse. As this happens, teens and tweens create a place for themselves in the world, use media and social media as a way to ‘plug in’ and discover platforms to express themselves, which paves the way for trends to emerge often in response to the world around them.

Elementary-aged kids don’t operate the same way. Their interests and tastes are based on things immediately in front of them and are often strongly influenced by their parents. Their perspectives are narrower, and their social spheres don’t function autonomously yet. Developmentally, it’s hard for them to identify their own style or values. They have far less awareness of the world around them. All of this means that trends among younger kids can be harder to identify and less responsive or connected to what’s happening in the world.

If there’s a difference between teen trends and kid trends, what do trends among younger kids look like?

Often trends among younger kids center on the toys, interests, content or games they engage with in their everyday lives. Consider some examples. We’ve all seen how pop-its have replaced fidget spinners as the It Toy. If you have a younger child, you haven’t been able to avoid singing along to Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” And be on the lookout – the hamster is predicted to become the new llama in 2022.

Less often do we see social or cultural trends among younger kids. Most aren’t on social media yet. They have far less awareness of societal issues or pop culture, and many kids have a limited familiarity with celebrities, media personalities and music artists. The big exception to this are YouTube influencers who kids know quite well because they spend so much time consuming YouTube content.

Do trends overlap between teenagers and younger kids at all?

They do, thanks to the trickle-down effect. Because kids are a step removed from the broader world around them, a pervasive trend can reach them, but more slowly. Think about the Dab or the Floss. Dabbing may have started in 2015, but it was still going strong among kids in 2018-2019. The Floss started as a social media fad in May 2017 after it was performed on Saturday Night Live, and then it spawned a craze in kids when the dance was featured on Fortnite months later. 

Here's what to take away about trends among younger kids:

• Even though something is popular among teens, that doesn’t mean it is automatically interesting, or even relevant, among younger kids – because teens engage with the world in a way that is different from the way kids engage with the world.

• That said, it’s important to keep track of teen trends to anticipate what might trend among kids in the future – as teen and tween trends (or versions of them) can eventually trickle down to younger kids.

Screen-Free Time

Introducing screen-free entertainment – a new category that allows kids to go screenless while immersing themselves in stories and activities that have typically been screen-dependent – which can be seen popping up across kids’ toys and media. 

Screen-free entertainment started to gain momentum during the second half of the pandemic when parents, whose kids relied heavily on screens to get them through the day, were looking for a reprieve from screen time.  

In 2021, one of the top holiday toys was Toniebox, a screen-free digital listening experience that plays stories and songs when an interchangeable character is placed on top of the audio player. The Yoto Player and the StoryPod are two other similar audio storytellers for kids. 

To address kids’ passion for gaming, the Storyball was created to be an audio gaming console that enables fully immersive gameplay without the need for a screen. While it’s still in a pilot launch phase, demand for the Storyball has started to grow.

In media, kid-targeted podcasts have also been on the rise. In January, Netflix released its first-ever kid podcast called Bedtime Stories, while Warner Bros and the Disney Channel also joined the kid podcasting market in 2021. The growth of kid podcasting is an offshoot of the rapid growth of podcasting at large, and the rise of smart speakers in U.S. homes is giving kids increased access to podcasts. According to a 2020 survey conducted by Morning Consult, 1 in 3 parents are likely to purchase a podcast subscription for their children, and among parents who actively listen to podcasts themselves, the rate increases to 64 percent.

As brands develop their content strategies, now is the time to think not only about capturing kids’ attention through their eyes, but through their ears as well.

Are Video Pods Really A Thing?

Over the past few years, podcasting has become a media mainstay for the American consumer. Top podcasting hosts now earn millions of dollars per year; investigative podcasts have themselves, in some cases, become part of the news stories they track; movies are made from hit podcasts; and social media chatter and loyal subscriber communities are part of the podcasting ecoystem.

In 2021, we saw video podcasting gain significant momentum online – as millions of people watched their favorite podcast hosts record audio episodes. 

With the dominance of podcasts and the new interest in video podcasts, we looked into the potential for video podcasts to take a starring role in digital content consumption. 

There are strong arguments to be made on both sides: 

Video podcasts are here to stay: 

• In 2021, YouTube became one of the top podcasting platforms alongside Apple and Spotify. YouTube lists video podcasts as a phenomenon in its 2021 Global Trends report, explaining that as content consumption has become increasingly immersive, it’s not enough for people to just listen to a podcast – now they want to watch it as it’s being recorded. 

• One reason people love podcasts is because they build intimacy between the listener and the host, and video podcasts can deepen that intimacy. For those watching video podcasts, there is a benefit to feeling like you are ‘behind the scenes,’ able to pick up on the physical interactions and body language of those who are recording.

• Video podcasting creates ready-made content for channels like TikTok and Instagram – platforms where podcasting consumers spend significant time. 

Video podcasts will fade away:

• One of the biggest drivers of the popularity of audio podcasts is that they enable multi-tasking. In a world where Americans have never been more focused on maximizing what they can get out of a single day, audio podcasts allow individuals the opportunity to be informed or be entertained while getting other things done. Video podcasting doesn’t afford the same option for productivity that audio provides.

• Up to this point, YouTube has been serving as a secondary distribution channel for podcasts – most podcasters don’t post their content on YouTube alone. Thus, perhaps it’s more fitting to think of video podcasts as a supplement to audio podcasts instead of a next-generation replacement.

Ultimately, we predict that video podcasts may keep rising in popularity, but audio podcasts will reign supreme.

Mobile Isn't Beating Out TV Yet

An MLN Research study among 7-9 year-old kids found that TV time remains as popular as mobile media consumption.

The prevalence of TV watching still exists because:

• Kids think there are more shows they can watch on TV compared to the apps or video content available on their devices.

• Parents are more likely to regulate mobile device screen time than TV time.

• Family co-viewing is trending again. Following the height of family-targeted TV content in the 90s (think the TGIF line-up: Full House, Family Matters, Step By Step), the pandemic brought a resurgence of content designed to appeal to the whole family who have been using TV as a way to spend time together.

• TV watching is more likely to be a passive activity occurring in the background during other activities, whereas time with a device is considered to be a designated activity.

@MostKids Aren't On Social

MLN Research asked a group of 7-10 year-old kids and their parents about social media use. The headline? Even as social media continues to dominate and shape our culture, and as technology companies like Facebook and Instagram are developing kid-targeted strategies, elementary school-aged kids are still largely not on social media.

Most parents do not want their kids to use social media. Parents are largely opposed to their children being active on social media because they are worried that their children will see inappropriate content, interact with strangers, or be subject to online bullying. Many parents said that they would allow their kids to be on social media when they entered late middle school or high school. 

YouTube and Facebook Messenger Kids are exceptions: While most social media outlets are off limits to kids, parents allow YouTube because it seems more like TV than social media and has a kid-specific platform that is designed primarily for consumption, not for interaction. Facebook Messenger Kids is also parent-approved because it allows kids to interact with their friends and family in a safe way online without giving them access to the rest of Facebook’s functionality. 

Many kids have limited interest in social media at this age. Because their worlds are still largely defined by the influence of their parents who shield them from social media, many 7-10 year-old kids don’t find social media very relevant. 

However, some kids are interested in social media content. Some parents said that their 7-10 year-old kids have started to become interested in social media. These kids often look at content on their parents’ social accounts, and some kids have parent-regulated accounts on platforms like Instagram or TikTok or on kid-targeted communities like LEGO Life.

Some kids consume and even create content but don’t share it: Kids with some exposure to social media tend to consume content, and others even create their own content – but many stop short at sharing it. Kids enjoy creating social media content (usually videos) because they like to creatively express themselves and because they consider it to be an aspirational activity. However, kids usually don’t post their content primarily because their parents don’t allow it.

Video-based social media is the most interesting to kids: Kids who are into social media are most interested in watching and recording YouTube or Tik Tok videos. Though kids are less likely to use Instagram and Snapchat, those who do are typically interested in watching video content and using video/photo filters.

The Premium of Healthy Snacks

We took a look at how the snack industry is being impacted by Millennial parents by examining the food values of Millennials, their personal snacking behaviors and their parenting priorities, and gathered a list of snack purchasing trends. Here’s what we found:

Snack and meal lines can blur: While Millennial parents are unlikely to skip meals for their kids, more healthful, filling snacks and smaller meals for kids are more common among Millennial parents – especially as kids and parents spend much of their days on the go.

The bar for healthy snacking is at an all-time high: The Millennial generation, along with the younger Gen Z cohort, are more willing to pay a premium for healthy foods than older generations,, and Millennials have set a high bar for what constitutes as a healthy food or snack, especially when it comes to food purchased for their children. 

Millennials tend to look for the following when seeking out healthy snacks:  

Whole foods: The NPD Group, in their Future of Snacking report, predicts that snacking is increasingly becoming a way to solve a wellness need for consumers, and as such, Millennials are seeking out snacks that are whole foods (quite often, fruit). 

On-the-go produce: On-the-go, snacking produce has become an exploding industry over the past 10 years. While families are the driving force behind this trend, Millennials parents buy more on-the-go produce than the average household.

Natural ingredients: Millennials are more likely to avoid highly processed snacks and will instead look for snacks that, if processed, only have natural ingredients. For some, it is not enough to have organic or natural claims on food labels; Millennials commonly read ingredient lists to see if label claims can be substantiated.

Healthy and local brand values matter: Futurecast research found that Millennial parents are opting for private label brands instead of big brands, having greater confidence that private brands are more committed to producing healthy food than brands that traditionally sell processed or mass-produced foods.

Foods low in artificial sugar: Another popular barometer for determining the healthfulness of a snack food is to look at sugar content. As a byproduct of a generational war against sugar, Millennial parents are worried about the sugar levels in foods for their children, particularly artificial sugars.

Convenience still remains king: Still, Millennial parents face the same daily realities that require that snacking and food preparation be convenient, which traditionally, has been largely at odds with being healthy. The ideal is that Millennial parents can find food that is nutritious, high quality and convenient. This is what’s driven the popularity of fast casual chains like Chipotle and Panera among Millennials, and premium baby food pouches among Millennial parents. 

Snack foods that will see the most success among health-conscious Millennial parents will be those that can deliver on convenience while passing a tough test for promoting the health and wellness of kids.

Games with Friends

In the wake of the pandemic, more and more kids are using video and app games not just to play, but to connect with friends. An MLN Research study among kids aged 7-10 and their parents found that gaming is the second most popular way that kids are socializing virtually, after video calls. A majority of kids use app games or video games to interact with their friends, and around half of these kids do so daily. In fact, more kids use games than video calls to socialize on a daily basis.

Having always been used as a source for entertainment, gaming has also become a way for kids to socialize when they haven’t been able to physically spend time with their friends. In turn, many parents have been supportive of games as a social outlet for their kids during the pandemic: 

“Our kids have been on screens a great deal more than they were previously. This is the first time they started playing games where they could interact with friends and family on their iPad.”

Roblox and Minecraft are the top games kids use for socializing (Roblox’s daily active users have exploded during the pandemic), while Among Us and Fortnite are other popular games that kids use for interacting with friends. 

Zooming To Online Research

Since the pandemic began over a year ago, Zoom went from a noun to verb, from an online meeting platform to a universal term for virtual connection. And just like that, virtual meetings became a ubiquitous part of culture, causing adults and kids alike to quickly adapt to the learning curve of gathering online.

Likewise, in the early days of the pandemic, MLN Research pivoted totally to online platforms to conduct research. Since March 2020, we have conducted hundreds of hours of qualitative research online with kids and adults, and along the way, we mastered what it takes to execute successful online research. Here are our big takeaways:

• The sky is the limit: With enough planning and a dose of creativity, it’s possible to adapt any methodology to meet nearly any type of research objective.

• Design material with online in mind: An online study is only as good as its test material. Effective material should be designed for those who are processing information on screens and can absorb less than they would in-person.

• Tap into those you trust: A trade-off of online research is that confidential information is less secure. Clients and researchers alike should update and strengthen their security protocols and consider setting up a consumer panel that can be held to a high standard of confidentiality and used on an ongoing basis.

• Leverage the home court advantage: A big benefit to online research is that consumers log in from the comfort and familiarity of their own homes, making them more at ease and more confident in their opinions. Still, the home environment has its distractions, so it’s important to provide online protocols to respondents.

• Keep the energy flowing: The biggest barrier to online research is the lack of physical interaction and energy that flows between respondents and moderator, and through to observers behind the mirror making it imperative for moderators to recreate this energy as much as possible.

• Embrace the virtual equalizer: With everyone in their own space and on the same metaphorical playing field, there is less opportunity for a dominant force to disrupt the group dynamic.

• Think smaller: It takes longer to get through a research discussion online than in-person. As such, we reduce the number of consumers in online groups and limit the duration of groups.

• Consider it a team sport: During online research, moderators assume the additional responsibility of being technology managers, material presenters and confidentiality supervisors so it’s helpful to identify a partner to take on the support tasks of virtual meeting management.

If you’d like to talk more about how MLN Research can help you with your next online research project, please reach out at info@mlnresearch.com.   

It's a Beautiful Day for Neighborhood Play

How outdoor play has become a pandemic essential for kids.

When asked how kids are making it through this pandemic, one mom’s answer said it all: “For kids, being able to go outdoors and be with friends is essential.”

Over the past year, from coast to coast and everywhere in between, kids have found solace and escape in the great outdoors. In a research study conducted by MLN Research among children in the US, the majority of kids interviewed explicitly mention being outdoors as one of their favorite ways to spend their newfound COVID-19 free time. 

Some kids and parents said outdoor play was rare before the pandemic began but quickly became a mainstay of kids’ lives in 2020.

Being outdoors is a place where kids can stretch their muscles after a long day at the computer: they ride bikes, climb trees, skateboard, roller blade, jump on trampolines, swim (if they’re lucky enough to have access to a pool!), and take long walks with their families.

The outdoors has also been a limitless source of exploration and discovery: kids are making things (one child constructed her own see-saw with wood and tools), they explore the creeks, ponds, and nature around their homes, and exciting scavenger hunts are all the rage. 

In an era where technology reigns, time spent outside has been a sweet slice of the idyllic childhoods cherished by older generations of parents and grandparents.

But perhaps most importantly, the outdoors have become the place where kids can safely socialize with other kids.

With school zones widely spread and many 2020 team sports cancelled, a lot of kids discovered—much to their dismay—that friends are far flung and sometimes hard to contact. This has been especially tough on kids under 10 years, who don’t always have smart devices, who aren’t allowed to freely FaceTime or video conference their friends, and who relate more easily through physical play than conversation. (Reflecting on her child’s FaceTime calls, one mom said, “They will show off their toys to each other, but the exchanges are not very deep.”)   

 Neighborhood friends have helped to fill the friendship gap. One mom described the change in her children once outdoor play became a reality: “In the beginning of the pandemic, it was very difficult. It improved when they were allowed to see other kids and play with them outside. At one point, they formed a ‘Kids Neighborhood Club’.”

Outside but close to home, neighborhood kids can play fun, physical games (like Capture the Flag or Cops and Robbers), challenge each other in contests, and explore their surroundings with a friend.

Even some of the strictest families have allowed their kids to play outdoors with neighbors. Rules are tight and guidelines are followed—but the time spent together with neighborhood friends offers an important morale boost to kids who have lost so much social interaction over the past year. Describing her sons’ interaction with a neighboring family, one mom said “This little bit of socializing helps keeps them going…even on days when we all struggle.”

The Scheduling Shake-up: Running Further with Free Time

Prior to the pandemic, one of the biggest trends in 21st century childhood was the increasingly busy schedule. Kids’ after-school hours were crammed with soccer practice, art class, and piano lessons. Weekends were booked with dance classes, swim classes, and robotics club.

The result: kids had very little free time.

All that changed in March 2020 when the world effectively shut down due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. Parents and kids traded in their on-the-go lifestyles for online school and a homebound existence.

 In qualitative interviews conducted by MLN Research in early 2021, parents said they were surprised to realize that their kids often didn’t know what to do with all their newfound free time and that during the first few months of being home day-after-day, a learning curve existed among kids when it came to how to fill their free time. Without some help from their parents, many kids automatically defaulted to technology to fill their time: “They need a lot of guidance with what to do with their free time. They always resort to technology first, wanting to go on their phones or iPads even if they only have 5 minutes of down time.”

For parents, this was an opportunity for new and different solutions emerged.

• Many parents found success by gently helping their kids. “They need some prompting to get creative, but once they do, they always have a lot of fun.”

• Some parents created new routines to give kids structure and consistency. “I have found that if I don't guide their free time and control the amount of screen time, they would mostly be parked in front of video games.”

•  Some embraced the time and used it as opportunity to change habits and develop closer familial relationships. “Before the pandemic, we were going to the math and reading learning center twice a week, Taekwondo twice a week, and taking swimming lessons once a week. We were always going somewhere. Now, we are learning to stay at home and focus on relationships and friendships.”

•  Still others let kids figure it out for themselves—and were pleasantly surprised by the results. “During the pandemic, I've noticed my daughter expand her imagination. She has more chunks of time throughout the day to stop and play, as opposed to a rushed afternoon after school and between activities.”

Despite different approaches, one thing was clear: more free time is a silver lining for what has been an otherwise hard year for kids. “My kids enjoy free time to do the things they don't always get to do.  Their imaginations can run a little further than they did when we had limited time each day between school and after school activities.” 

And how are they running further? In our research, kids said they were spending lots of time outdoors; they were honing new skills, like baking and sewing; they were educating themselves with resources, like Curiosity Stream; they were learning how to play new musical instruments, teach tricks their new pandemic pets, and so much more!  

Socializing Through the Screen

With social distancing in full effect during the pandemic, kids turned to their mobile devices to interact with friends and family. MLN Research talked to 7-10 year-old kids and their parents to learn how kids have been socializing on their devices:

• Most kids use FaceTime or make video calls; they also use video games and app games to socialize.

• Many kids use messaging apps to talk to friends and family.

• Fewer kids text their friends and family or use social media to interact with friends and family.

Often, parents have been the ones encouraging and facilitating digital social interaction as they looked for ways to solve for the lack of physical social interaction during the pandemic, coordinating FaceTime play dates with other parents or helping kids send video messages to friends and family. 

Other times, parental support has come in the form of loosening restrictions on screen time: 

“We’ve been more lenient about screen time for sure. My kids didn’t play Fortnite at all before this year. While I don’t love it, one plus is definitely that they can play with friends and talk to them.  When we were in full lockdown mode it was really the only socialization they got.”

Many parents have created an exception to their social media policies in order for their kids to use messaging services: 

“We allow our children to use Facebook but only for Facebook Messenger Kids. This allows them to interact with their friends since they are attending virtual school. Otherwise, they may not get to interact with her friends much at all.” Facebook Messenger Kids is the top platform that kids use to send messages to their friends and family.

Some parents have indicated that their kids’ digital social activity is only temporary and have already reduced the amount of their kids’ screen time as the pains of the pandemic are starting to ease. However, others have seen the benefits of their kids connecting online, which begs the question: Is the prevalence of digital socializing among kids here to stay?