“Unprecedented.” It’s a simple word to describe what has been a very (very!) complicated 2020. In a good year, most kids content takes 18 months to get to screen. That means creators today are looking at a 2022 release for a recently greenlit series. But how does one plan for two years down the line when the present is unprecedented?
From the “silent generation” influenced by a pair of world wars, to a prosperous “baby boom” that spoke of nothing but promise and potential, to the launch of the internet and all that entailed—few global events have the power to collectively shape a generation. But for today’s Gen Alphas and Gen Zs, COVID-19 is likely to be one of those defining experiences.
So how can the industry plan for a post-pandemic future? To start, you have to talk to your audience today. Experts from Disney, MarketCast Kids and Dubit went right to the source, checking in with families about how their lives have changed in order to discern which new trends and habits are likely to have staying power. There’s still time to sign up for our Kids of 2022 virtual keynote series for even more future-focused audience intel.
By: Tiffany Aguilar, Jordana Gilman and Julie Baran
Play means many things to kids—it’s how they express emotions, develop social skills, learn new things, and ultimately, it’s how kids grow. Through MarketCast’s research with children and families, we have seen first-hand the impact recent events are having on how kids play.
But to truly understand COVID-19 and its affect on the future of playtime, we qualitatively checked in with the experts themselves—kids ages six to 13—five months after stay-at-home orders were put in place in the US.
The kids are alright
Kids are incredibly resilient and naturally creative. They haven’t let a worldwide pandemic or political and social unrest stop them from doing what they love—having fun.
Despite changes to their normal routines, they’ve found silver linings and workarounds to make being stuck at home more exciting.
“Normally, I would be at camp during the summer, so this is the first time I have been home,” said one 11-year-old boy we spoke with. “I like it. I’ve seen a lot of my family and my grandma, and I swim with my cousins a lot.”
In our conversations with families, three consistent themes emerged that we believe are integral to how kids will play over the next few years: comfort, exploration and connection.
Comfort and connection
According to a study presented at Prix Jeunesse this year, fewer than 10% of kids in the US are “very worried” about COVID-19. Despite less worry about the virus itself, kids are still struggling with changes to the structure of their daily lives, and are more likely to experience high rates of depression and anxiety during isolation, making the need for comfort essential.
To maintain their mental health, kids turn to a variety of activities. When sad, they play or snuggle with their pets and stuffed animals. “[My squishies] help me when I am feeling stressed and don’t know what to do,” noted one six-year-old girl. “I squish it and it makes me feel better.” And to fill the loneliness, kids turn to family time, screen time and pretend play with dolls and figures. “I play with my dolls a lot,” noted an eight-year-old. “I play out different stories with them.”
Kids are also using this time to discover and experiment with new interests, skills and ways of playing, often using online videos to spark ideas and give them concrete examples to practice with. They’re delving into creative outlets like arts & crafts, cooking/baking and dancing. Unable to go to movie theaters, indoor play spaces and theme parks, kids are also increasingly spending their time on physical and outdoor activities, including hikes and various sports like soccer or swimming.
Parents, meanwhile, are seizing this moment by proactively teaching their kids basic life skills and how to do housework, creating ways for them to contribute while being at home. Kids also recognize the importance of these skills.
One little chef-in-the-making cooked dinner for his family for the first time, noting, “It’s an important skill for me to have for when I live alone one day.”
Chores were mentioned on social media plat- forms more than 15,500 times in a 30-day window this summer, and a number of TikTok users have recently surged in popularity by sharing relatable, hilarious videos teaching their kids how to do basic household chores.
There is no doubt technology has been a saving grace for kids and parents alike—keeping kids occu- pied and connected to their schools, relatives and friends. With 31% of parents saying they will probably keep their child home from school this fall, technology gives kids opportunities to play together, catch up and simply spend time with one another.
In fact, many kids we spoke with prefer virtual connections because they offer creative ways to share and stay linked with others. In some cases, kids are initiating FaceTime calls with their friends and leaving the app running in the background as they go about their daily routines. This provides a sense of being “virtually in the room” with friends, despite social distance. Others are using video conferencing features to share digital trinkets, such as Roblox animal trades, emojis and memes: “I love using emojis on FaceTime to react,” said an 11-year-old girl. “It makes hanging out more fun than just talking.”
With more free time than usual, parents are allowing these prolonged virtual playdates, and kids are enjoying the freedom to just be with their friends in a less controlled way.
Future play
Kids will take many of the habits formed today and use them to be more autonomous and savvy about their playtime. Having overcome the upheavals of 2020, kids will be better equipped to handle any future disruptions to their day-to-day habits, and find ways to comfort themselves in times of need.
Families will be closer as well. We believe siblings will have fewer rivalries, and homes—where space permits—will be outfitted to handle both indoor and outdoor play. Life’s milestones will continue to be modified, and celebrations made more intimate and family-centric (think field graduations and back- yard birthdays), due to continued virus risk.
Many pre-pandemic trends that provide comfort will continue to grow. Even in 2022, kids will seek comfort by watching and listening to ASMR videos, relieving stress in the kitchen, creating arts & crafts or slime, and squishing plush toys. Younger kids will work out their feelings through pretend play, placing more emphasis on everyday heroes, such as doctors, teachers and other essential workers, versus the more traditional comic book idols and law enforcement officers.
And toy brands will continue to take notice. Recently, Mattel launched a “#ThankYouHeroes” Barbie campaign, while LEGO paused its digital marketing/advertising for police sets and products. For LEGO specifically, its decision to pause marketing for police-themed products generated 35% of the brand’s total social media conversation since the beginning of June 2020. We see this toy trend persisting into 2022, with toymakers looking to heroes in the form of nurses, farmers and engineers.
While the need to explore is a timeless aspect of childhood, the depth of exploration that took place during the pandemic will lead to kids being more adventurous, confident and skilled than ever before. With a refined sense of self, more kids will turn play into a physical production (think dance videos and baking tutorials), and parents will feel the benefits of their kids’ new talents around the house (say hello to miniature personal chefs and gardeners).
The need to connect is integral for all, and in 2022, kids will definitely crave in-person interactions over digital ones. With the fear of recurring COVID-19 outbreaks, kids will continue to engage in more structured activities with friends with safety measures in place. Sharing toys and tchotchkes in person will be a thing of the past, and tech will be- come the way kids trade and collect. Kids will also become more comfortable relying on technology to connect, even as we transition to post-pandemic life (for example, worrying less about a friend moving away, since they now know FaceTime is available at any time).
As history has proven, kids often emerge stronger and wiser through hard times. Their resilience in today’s world has proven that even through the most drastic changes to their daily lives, kids will adapt and find new, innovative ways to play that help them do the work of growing up.
Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative studies, MarketCast Kids spoke with more than a dozen kids and their families, as well as analyzed more than 800,000 digital impressions between the months of June and August, to explore evolving play needs.
MarketCast Kids is a team of developmental experts who spend their waking hours pondering and communicating trends relating to youth. Find them at MarketCast.com