What you need to know
Kids and teens typically have two to three hours per day to spend on leisure activities. However, in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, they have seemingly endless hours to fill. In general, kids and teens spend their leisure time participating in digital activities, notably social media and gaming. These are more convenient than analog activities as most kids and teens own at least one mobile device. During this period of social isolation, kids will be doubling down on digital while parents will actively try to engage them in screen-free leisure activities. While kids and teens report having some say in what they do during their free time, they value their parents’ and friends’ opinions, which ultimately influence these decisions.
Key issues covered in this Report
The impact of COVID-19 on kids’ and teens’ leisure activities.
How COVID-19 will influence how kids and teens spend their leisure time now (while school is out) and in the future when their typical routines resume.
How parents and friends influence kids’ and teens’ decisions in the leisure category.
The role of digital and analog activities in kids’ and teens’ leisure routines.
This Report was written in March, 2020 and updated on April 27 with the COVID-19 implications.
Consumer research was fielded in February 2020 and reflects kids’, tweens’ and teens’ typical activity participation before the COVID-19 outbreak in the US.
Definitions
This Report covers the daily activities of kids and teens, focusing mostly on their leisure time. For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
Kids: children aged 6-9
Tweens: children aged 10-11
Teens: children aged 12-17
Younger teens: children aged 12-14
Older teens: children aged 15-17
Parents: adults aged 18+ who are parents/guardians to kids under the age of 18 living in the household
