Peppa Pig 'is teaching American kids to speak with an English accent'

"A British show for children is allegedly warping American toddlers’ speech toward “Mummy” and “to-mah-to,” according to several parents who have recorded their children speaking with an English inflection. But according to linguistic experts, the Peppa Pig effect, first reported by the parenting website Romper, is less a soft-power victory for anglophilia than a normal toddler tendency to mimic new words.
Peppa Pig, which first aired in 2004, features a town of animals speaking in Britishisms such as “zeh-bra” or “straightaway”. In the Romper post, Janet Manley reported that her two-year-old daughter started calling her Mummy after binge-watching Peppa Pig on a 21-hour trip to Australia.
Other parents have shared similar observations online: “The most entertaining aspect of my life right now is that my toddler has been watching Peppa Pig and now speaks with a British accent,” wrote Twitter user Jess Steinbrenner. NBC Charlotte posted a video of a young girl calling a car “wei-ard” instead of “weird”. Several parents said their kids were pronouncing “tomato” as Peppa would."

Source:  The Guardian, 14th February 2019
Note - The article partly denies the story later one - saying that you learn accepts through interaction, but that the kids may be imitating some words. 

The main social media site used by UK kids 12-15

Source: Ofcom's Children & Parents:  Media Use and Attitudes Report 2018, 28th January 2019
PDF here
Long PDF with much more data here

Nearly 2/3 of UK kids under the age of 2 are allowed to use tablets

"Almost two thirds of children under the age of two are allowed to use tablets, and a third can open apps and turn the device on themselves, according to new data by market research specialists Parents Insights.
The findings, from Parents Insights Q2 report on a study of 2,500 parents, also shows that one in five tech-savvy babies can unlock a smart device unaided.
But the study found that parents are alive to potential problems occurring from too much tablet use, with more than half (63per cent) limiting their kids’ time on the device to less than half an hour a day.
Parents Insights’ lead analyst Nick Richardson said: “Our latest data reveals a fascinating picture about how toddlers and babies as young as six months are interacting with technology – and how much their parents are seemingly willing to allow.
"It seems that tablets are the first device that parents are happy for their little ones to use but their attitudes to social media are much less liberal. We found that just 17 per cent said they would let one of their children use social media before the legal age of 13. It’s key information for brands to be aware of as they adapt to the way that both kids and parents consume information.”
When children are allowed on a tablet, the main activities they choose are games (24 per cent), YouTube (18 per cent) and Apps (12 per cent), and the same activities are popular for smartphones."
Source:  ToysNPlaythings, 22nd June 2018

Half of British children watch Netflix; only 29% watch BBC iPlayer

"This generation of children embody the digital transformation. They are the audience group that are changing fastest. Although TV continues to be the main platform for children’s viewing, what they consider to be ‘TV’ and how they access this is rapidly evolving.
As the trend shifts towards on-demand viewing, the BBC risks being overtaken by competitors. 82% of children go to YouTube for on-demand content, half to Netflix and only 29% use BBC iPlayer. Children aged 5-15 now spend more time each week online (15 hrs 18 mins) than they do watching TV (14 hrs).
43% of 12-15s now use their mobile phone to watch TV. At the same time, the market has become much more competitive. The number of specialist children’s TV channels has increased markedly in recent decades, from four in 1998 to more than 35 in 2016. Most of these additional channels are driven primarily by imported content, the majority emanating from North America, and much of it consisting of animation (Cartoon Network; Nickelodeon and Nick Jnr; Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior).
As a result, there has been a steady decline in the usage of our children’s services. The average weekly reach of CBBC among 6-12 year olds has fallen from close to 40% in 2011/12 to under 25% in 2016/17."
[...]
"The BBC’s output on TV and Radio is uniquely distinctive in its breadth and range, and in its focus on British content from across the UK. But sustaining the quality that audiences demand is increasingly difficult in a world where inflation in some genres is running at unprecedented levels. The BBC continues to seek out investment from other providers to reduce the demand on the licence fee, but these deals are not as available or as attractive as they used to be.
At the same time, maintaining the reach and time that audiences spend with our output is equally difficult, when they have so many other choices at their disposal. This challenge is most acute for young audiences. Our most recent estimates suggest that 16-34s spent similar amounts of time with BBC One, ITV and Netflix a week – around two hours a week for each. 16-24s spend more time with Netflix than all of BBC TV (including iPlayer). Similarly, for the first time, in October-December 2017 we estimate 15- 34s listened more to streaming music services than all BBC Radio (5 hrs vs. 4 hrs 30 mins a week)."
Source:  The BBC Annual Plan, 28th March 2018
PDF here - The text is from page 9 and page 11

Musical.ly users generated more than 10m Winter Olympics interactions in first weekend

"Musical.ly, the lip-synching video app with 60 million users, generated more than 10 million engagements during the first weekend of the Winter Olympics with broadcasts from social influencers Nia Sioux (@niasioux) and Ross Smith (@rosssmith) and the NBC Olympics channel (@nbcolympics), according to a news release. Muscial.ly partnered with NBC Sports Group to provide new ways for fans to experience the games, which opened last week in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
NBC Olympics is feeding content daily to Musical.ly users, such as event highlights, behind-the-scenes footage and GIFs. Musical.ly is also urging users to engage in the Olympics experience using two in-app hashtag challenges created with NBC and U.S. athletes such as skier Mikaela Shiffrin, figure skater Nathan Chen and snowboarder Chloe Kim."
Source:  Mobile Marketer, 16th February 2018

A six year old is making an estimated $11m a year as a toy reviewer on YouTube

"Ryan, the 6-year-old "host" of Ryan ToysReview, a popular toy-review channel on YouTube, is also reportedly a multi-millionaire.
A family-run YouTube channel, Ryan ToysReview generated around $11 million in pre-tax income in 2017, according to Forbes' annual list of the highest-earning YouTube celebrities.
The raw estimate of $11 million tied Ryan ToysReview with the YouTube comedy stalwart Smosh for eighth place on the Forbes list."
Source:  The Independent, 10th December 2017

28% of ten year olds in the UK have a social media profile

"Half of children aged 11 and 12 have a social media profile, despite most platforms' minimum age being 13, a study from regulator Ofcom suggests.
Children's charity the NSPCC called on the government to act on the issue of under-age profiles.
The media watchdog also said children were increasingly getting their news from social media, but most were aware of the concept of fake news.
Just 32% believed that news accessed on such platforms was reported truthfully.
Ofcom's Children and Parents Media Use and Attitudes report found that 46% of 11-year-olds, 51% of 12-year-olds and 28% of 10-year-olds now have a social media profile.
Parental awareness of the age limit was low - with about eight in 10 of those parents whose children use Instagram or Snapchat unaware of the restrictions."
Source:  BBC News, taking data from Ofcom, 29th November 2017

More than half US schoolchildren use Google education apps

"Today, more than half the nation’s primary- and secondary-school students — more than 30 million children — use Google education apps like Gmail and Docs, the company said. And Chromebooks, Google-powered laptops that initially struggled to find a purpose, are now a powerhouse in America’s schools. Today they account for more than half the mobile devices shipped to schools.
“Between the fall of 2012 and now, Google went from an interesting possibility to the dominant way that schools around the country” teach students to find information, create documents and turn them in, said Hal Friedlander, former chief information officer for the New York City Department of Education, the nation’s largest school district. “Google established itself as a fact in schools.”"
Source:  NYT, 13th May 2017

56% of new parents visit Facebook on their phones before 7am

"The arrival of a baby transforms a parent’s life in an instant: less “gym Tuesdays” or “happy hour Fridays” and more afternoon power napping after late-night feedings. As children turn parents’ focus close to home, parents are relying on their mobile phones to stay connected to family and friends—and even to brands. New parents, in particular, use mobile devices as an escape—especially during early mornings.1 New parents in the US are active on Facebook in the wee hours, starting their first mobile sessions as early as 4am and peaking at 7am.4 In fact, by 7am, 56% of new parents have visited Facebook on their mobile device."

Source:  Facebook, 28th January 2016

Smartphone and feature phone ownership among British kids

Source:  Ofcom's Childrens & Parents Report, 20th November 2015

Time spent with media per day in India

Source:  Data from TNS, reported by Next Big What, 20th November 2015

Kids' media use in the UK 2005-2015

Source:  Ofcom's Children & Parents: Media use & attitudes report 2015, 20th November 2015

Children who play video games more frequently achieve lower academic results

Headline Findings:
"- Access to a computer/laptop at home is not an issue for the vast majority of young people with at
least 95% reporting having access. However, despite the fact that only 5% report not having access
to a computer or laptop, when scaled up across the top 40 schools in terms of deprivation, c.1,000
young people are potentially without access, placing them at significant disadvantage.
- Young people spend a significant amount of time online each day with one-third of young people
spending four hours or more online in Year 1 rising to 40% in Year 2 of the study.
- Social networking and gaming were identified by parents/carers and teachers as activities that
could most negatively impact on young people’s attainment. Findings from this research confirm
a link between extent of gaming and GCSE attainment, e.g. only two-fifths (41%) of pupils who
reported using a portable games player a couple of times a day achieved 5A*-C GCSE grades
compared to over three-quarters (77%) of those who reported rarely using one. No relationship
was observed in terms of social networking.
- School staff were particularly concerned about extent of gaming, reporting a number of issues
relating to attendance, punctuality and motivation. Particular issues identified in relation to male
pupils with gaming addiction noted in some instances.
- Internet safety is a particular concern for schools and parents/carers however young people
themselves appeared more comfortable with their own safety online."

Source:  ict & me, A research study examining how young people’s use of ICT and the amount of screentime impacts on GCSE attainment, Northern Ireland, October 2015 

Summary on BBC news here

Kids influence family purchase decisions

"Kids have a lot of influence. Almost all children participate in decision-making processes about purchases. Across categories, parents take their kids’ opinions very seriously. The areas where kids have the most influence are toys (88%), fashion (79%) and places to go (79%). Additionally, 54% of parents say their kids always or often accompany them to the grocery store.
Parent-child relationships are very close. Two-thirds of parents claim to be closer to their kids than their parents were to them, illustrating how much parents trust their children today. Additionally, 9 out of 10 parents say they frequently ask their child’s opinions about purchases, and 4 in 10 confirm that their children are more knowledgeable than them about several product areas (especially toys and gaming).
Kids have the word. Children 6 to 13 often initiate conversations about products, with nearly 90% asking their parents about new things they’ve heard of. Parents listen, too–two-thirds say their children influence them strongly on what to buy.
Kids have money to spend. With 6 in 10 Northern European children getting pocket money, their spending power is significant—adding up to more than 3 billion Euros per year across the six markets in this study.
TV is most relevant. Apart from conversations with parents and friends, TV ads are most central to kids’ discovery of new products. Not only do 80% of kids get ideas about what they want from them, 81% tell their parents about cool TV ads they’ve seen. Kids’ high-level use of laptops, tablets and smartphones demonstrates the importance of multi-platform targeting for advertisers."
Source:  Research on Northern Europe by Viacom, reported on their blog, 25th September 2015

A summary of UK boys’ and girls’ gaming habits and preferences

"Boys
Core focus on game consoles because they are immersive
It’s all about completing the game and being the best
Tablets skew young or are more for casual gaming; they could be used to complement console games or promote conversation
YouTube is important for knowledge, discovery, and passing on skills—and should be embraced!
Girls
Gaming peaks at age 9-10, then migrates to smartphones in secondary school—social or puzzle games appeal the most
Don’t stereotype—racing and platform games are popular
Be inclusive
Mobile has opened up the market to girls – embrace the opportunity with this audience!"

Source:  Research by Nickelodeon UK, published in Viacom's International Insights, 26th August 2015

Social networks used by 12-15 year olds in the UK in 2015

Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

TV is now the second screen for kids with tabelts and smartphones in the US

"In a majority of US family households with tablets and smartphones, TV is no longer the kids’ first choice for entertainment, according to a study by strategic research, marketing brand consultants Miner & Co Studio.
The firm found 57 per cent of kids prefer watching video on portable devices like smartphones and tablets as opposed to on traditional television screens.
Additionally, Miner & Co.’s study found 41 per cent of children are more than willing to give up treats in exchange for more time with mobile devices. Thirty-nine per cent of the parents said their children regularly watch the same content on not just one, but multiple devices at the same time.
Mobile devices offer versatility, simple user interface and a ‘personal’ viewing experience. As such, in households where tablets and smartphones are accessible, they’ve now taken the lead with kids as the preferred way to enjoy and explore video content. TV has become the ‘second’ or even third screen for many of these kids.
Parents in nearly half of these households say that when their kids misbehave, they take away their tablet and make them ‘watch TV instead’ as punishment – creating a generation of kids for whom ‘TV is punishment’."
Source:  Advanced Television, 7th July 2015

More than 50% of UK households own a tablet

"The tablet computer has established itself as a must-have device in just five years with more than half of UK homes now owning one.
Apple’s iPad launched in the UK on 28 May 2010 and, alongside Android and other tablet devices, it is helping to shape the way we surf the internet, communicate and watch TV and video.
The rapid rise in popularity of tablets means that over half of UK households (54%) now have one1, up from just 2% in 2011.
Tablets are proving particularly popular among people aged 35-54 with nearly two thirds of this age group (64%) having a tablet.
The trend looks set to continue - 21% of households currently without a tablet told Ofcom they were likely to get one within the next 12 months.
A tablet generation
According to Ofcom research, seven in ten (71%) children aged 5-15 had access to a tablet at home by the end of 2014, up from just over half (51%) in 2013.
And many kids do not even have to share a tablet with their parents. One in three children (34%) aged 5-15 have their own device - up from one in five (19%) in 2013.
Tablets are also proving popular with toddlers - one in ten (11%) of 3-4 year olds now have their own tablet to keep them entertained."

Source:  Ofcom, 27th May 2015

Daily screen time by 8 year old boys in UK has risen from 2.7 hours to 5.5 hours in 20 years

"Stretching back to 1995, Childwise found that on average, eight-year-old boys watched 2.7 hours of TV per day. Whereas in 2015, screen time had expanded to include new platforms and jumped to 5.5 hours (2.3 hours watching TV, 1.3 hours on internet, 1.5 hours on console, 0.4 hours on mobile).
For eight-year-old girls, screen time in 1995 also consisted of 2.7 hours spent watching TV daily. Meanwhile this year, the same age group logged 3.8 hours of screen time (2.1 hours watching TV, 0.8 hours on internet, 0.6 hours on console, 0.3 hours on mobile).
With stats like this, the report predicts future generations will be more likely to access content like TV shows via tablet or phablet, rather than a traditional TV set, laptop or PC.
Thanks to the popularity of the tablet with this demo, the device is likely to reach similar ownership levels as smartphones, and ownership of laptops and PCs is predicted to fall.
As more kids own these portable devices (which can be difficult for parents to regulate), protecting kids from inappropriate content online will be a continuing issue going forward.
In addition, the report found that traditional social networks like Facebook will continue to decline in popularity, while photo and video-sharing sites like YouTube, Instagram and SnapChat gain traction with young people.
On the mobile phone front, the study suggests these devices will become a hub, used to coordinate other tech devices. For example, kids will use their phones to interact with the television, either indirectly through second-screen viewing or as a controller.
Looking at the next five years, Childwise predicts there will be a convergence of technology currently in use. Some children may choose phablets instead of the current combo of phone and tablet/laptop. Televisions are likely to be increasingly connected to the internet, allowing for streaming of content from portable devices to the big screen.
Over the next 10 years, these digital natives are likely to find household appliances that cannot be controlled by smartphone, or some kind of online dashboard, outdated and/or increasingly rare. The report also suggests that wearable technology will have progressed significantly by this point."
Source:  Press release from Childwise, 27th March 2015

There were more fifth birthdays in 2014 than ever before

"More Fifth Birthdays Than Ever Before
To me, one of the best ways to measure progress is to look at how many children are dying of preventable causes. And today, more kids are living to see their fifth birthday than ever before. This year, for at least the 42nd year in a row, the child mortality rate has fallen. And it’s not just moving in the right direction—it’s falling faster than anyone expected. The Economist ran a great article about this in September, where it estimated that just since 2001, the world has saved 13.6 million children’s lives. It’s hard to think of a better sign the world is improving."

Source:  Bill Gates' Good News You May Have Missed, 15th December 2014