Activities of Kids and Teens - US - March 2018

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Definition
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
Overview
Figure 1: US population by age, 2018
The issues
Teens don’t believe what they see online
Figure 2: Kids’ attitudes and opinions – Internet items, by age, December 2017
Kids don’t feel they have enough free time
Figure 3: Kids’ attitudes and opinions – Time items, December 2017
Nontech activities may struggle to compete with cell phones
Figure 4: Cell phone ownership, by age, 2017
The opportunities
Media-based activities are most desired
Figure 5: Activity aspirations – Select items, December 2017
Girls want to be creative, boys want to play
Figure 6: Why kids enjoy the activities they do – Select items, by gender, December 2017
Teens’ go-to website: YouTube
Figure 7: Teens’ social media use, December 2017
What it means
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Under 18 crowd accounts for 74 million Americans
Number of births remains flat, households get smaller
More than half of kids aged 11+ have a cell phone
Kids have more influence over toys and games, less over media choices
FAMILY DEMOGRAPHICS
Kids account for nearly a quarter of the population
Figure 8: US population by age, 2018
Young Americans are increasingly racially diverse
Figure 9: Distribution of population, by age and race, 2018
Two-parent households most common living arrangement for kids
Figure 10: Living arrangements of children under age 18, 2017
MARKET FACTORS
“Baby bust” continues
Figure 11: Annual births, 2006-16
. . . which has led to fewer households with children
Figure 12: Households, by presence of own children, 2007-17
MARKET PERSPECTIVE
Cell phone ownership correlates with age
Figure 13: Cell phone ownership, by age, 2017
Teens are on their phones while watching TV or when they’re online
Figure 14: Teens’ concurrent cell phone use while watching TV or on a computer, 2017
Teens are spending their summers studying, not working
Kids have more say on toy purchases, less on TV and movies
Figure 15: Kids’ influence on family entertainment purchases, November 2017
KEY TRENDS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 
Kids look up to parents, teachers, and . . . YouTube
Kids and teens get more digital access but parents still run the show
Social media challenges and unrealistic standards
Robots and Big Bird help kids develop academically and emotionally
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
YouTube informs career path for kids
Product reviews for kids from kids
Figure 16: Ryan’s Most Favorite Top 10 Toys for kids of the year, video, Dec. 31, 2017
Kids’ products and related messaging center around inclusivity
Toys
Apparel
Entertainment
School
Celebrating multiculturalism in kids’ literature
Amazon for teens, Facebook for kids, Google for family
Figure 17: Amazon, Your teen has connected to your account, email, Dec. 6, 2017
WHAT TO WATCH
(Un)realistic standards on social media
Figure 18: Are You Living an Insta Lie? Social Media Vs Reality, video, Feb. 20, 2017
I challenge you!
Figure 19: Gronk knows that Tide PODS® are for DOING LAUNDRY. Nothing else., video, Jan. 12, 2018
Figure 20: Tide Pods – Child-resistant packaging, Feb 2018
Marketing diversity flops could lead to viral consequences
Arts and crafts struggle to appeal to kids
Figure 21: DIY Crunchy Slime | Michaels, video, April 14, 2017
Figure 22: Teens’ and kids’ participation in specific crafts in the last 12 months (Simmons), 2009-17
WHAT’S NEXT?
Technology in toys
Robot teachers in the classroom or at home
Figure 23: Spicing up preschool lessons with Pepper & NAO, video, Aug. 10, 2016
Teaching kids how to spot fact from fiction
Kids’ favorite characters can help them emotionally develop
Figure 24: Traumatic Experiences, video, Aug. 8, 2017
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 
Kids spend more time with friends as they age
Watching TV and hanging out are most desired activities
Teens like activities that let them relax, kids like to stay busy
Internet is meant for consuming entertaining content
Teens love YouTube and use it to share videos, find out about products
Activities that incorporate animals or travel appeal to most kids
Kids are internet lovers, future worriers, and skeptical readers
WHO KIDS SPEND FREE TIME WITH 
Kids more likely to spend time with family than friends
Figure 25: Free time companions, December 2017
Friends become increasingly influential as kids age
Figure 26: Free time companions, by age, December 2017
Gender plays little role in who kids spend their time with
Figure 27: Free time companions, by gender, December 2017
WHAT DO KIDS WANT TO DO MORE OF?
Kids want to do more with media and their friends
Figure 28: Activity aspirations, December 2017
Teens want to do more activities that connect with others . . .
Figure 29: Activity aspirations – Spend time with family/friends, go out to eat, by age, December 2017
. . . while kids want to play and make things
Figure 30: Activity aspirations – Select items, by age, December 2017
Boys like to play, girls prefer to make and learn
Figure 31: Activity aspirations – Select items, by gender, December 2017
Hispanic kids want to watch more TV and spend more time with others
Figure 32: Activity aspirations – Select items, by Hispanic origin, December 2017
WHY KIDS ENJOY THEIR ACTIVITIES
Spending time with others is key to activity enjoyment
Figure 33: Why kids enjoy the activities they do, December 2017
Kids like activities where they can use their imagination and make things
Figure 34: Why kids enjoy the activities they do – Use imagination, make something, by age, December 2017
Teens prefer activities that let them relax and enjoy alone time
Figure 35: Why kids enjoy the activities they do – Relax, be by myself, by age, December 2017
Activities that promote creativity appeal to girls, boys want to be active
Figure 36: Why kids enjoy the activities they do – Select items, by gender, December 2017
HOW KIDS SPEND TIME ONLINE
Internet is mostly used for entertainment purposes
Figure 37: How time is spent online, December 2017
Teens go online for music
Figure 38: Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey – The Middle (Official Music Video), video, Jan. 28, 2018
Figure 39: How time is spent online – Listen to music item, by age, December 2017
Kids turn to the internet for games and TV/videos
Figure 40: How time is spent online – Select items, by age, December 2017
Playing games more common for boys, social media and music for girls
Figure 41: How time is spent online – Select items, by gender, December 2017
Hispanic kids consume media online more than non-Hispanic kids do
Figure 42: How time is spent online – Select items, by Hispanic origin, December 2017
TEENS’ SOCIAL MEDIA USE
Teens’ go-to social media site: YouTube
Figure 43: Teens’ social media use, December 2017
YouTube used to discover content, Facebook used for family chatting . . .
Figure 44: Correspondence analysis – Social media websites by reasons for use, December 2017
. . . but most social media sites serve multiple purposes
Figure 45: Reasons for social media website use, by social media website, December 2017
Girls use Instagram to follow brands and celebrities
Figure 46: Reasons for social media website use, by gender, December 2017
Most teens don’t trust social media for product information
Figure 47: Attitudes (social media), April 2016-May 2017
Personal recommendations are more effective than branded ones
Figure 48: Attitudes (social media), April 2016-May 2017
KIDS’ FUTURE GOALS
Activities that incorporate animals or travel will be most appealing
Figure 49: Kids’ future goals, December 2017
World travel and culture intriguing for tweens
Figure 50: JetBlue | Little Tickets, video, July 9, 2017
Figure 51: Kids’ future goals – travel the world and learn a new language, by age, December 2017
Business and space appeal to boys, animals appeal to girls
Figure 52: Kids’ future goals – select items, by gender, December 2017
Kids from affluent homes consider travel an important goal as they age
Figure 53: Kids’ future goals – travel the world, by household income, December 2017
ATTITUDES TOWARD TECHNOLOGY, TIME, AND THE FUTURE
Kids love the internet, but they’re also skeptical of what they see
Figure 54: Kids’ attitudes and opinions – Internet items, December 2017
Teens are most skeptical of content online
Figure 55: Kids’ attitudes and opinions – Internet items, by age, December 2017
Parents have significant influence over what kids do
Figure 56: Kids’ attitudes and opinions – Future items, December 2017
The future worries kids more as they age
Figure 57: Kids’ attitudes and opinions – Future items, by age, December 2017
Kids are busy, but not with the things they want to be doing
Figure 58: Kids’ attitudes and opinions – Time items, December 2017
Multitasking becomes more common as kids age
Figure 59: Kids’ attitudes and opinions – Multitasking item, by age, December 2017
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES AND ABBREVIATIONS
Data sources
Consumer survey data
Correspondence analysis
Direct marketing creative
Abbreviations and terms
Abbreviations
Terms
APPENDIX – THE MARKET 
Figure 60: Population by age, 2013-23
Figure 61: Married share of population, 2006-16
Figure 62: Teens’ cell phone and tablet ownership, 2006-17
Figure 63: Cell phone, 2006-16
APPENDIX – KEY TRENDS
Figure 64: Teens’ participation in crafts in the last 12 months – By net and specific types, 2009-17
Figure 65: Kids’ participation in crafts in the last 12 months – By net and specific types, 2009-17
APPENDIX – THE CONSUMER 
Figure 66: Cable TV channels watched by teens in the last seven days, May 2017-February 2018
Figure 67: Cable TV channels watched by kids in the last seven days, May 2017-February 2018
Figure 68: Toys and games kids own or use, May 2017-February 2018
Figure 69: Digital music services used in the last 30 days, May 2017-February 2018