Kidscreen Kids of 2022 Series

Mapping Pandemic
Play patterns
Fall 2020

1
 A team of kid specialists, • Child development
with combined academic • Education
and professional • Psychology
experience in: • Media production

Vast experience in
multiple, often
integrated categories
Who we are
A custom research and consulting Proven, innovative,
agency, we are industry leaders in and engaging ways
child and family research to talk to kids and
parents

Work that has

taken us around
the globe

2
The Why.

• Explore the impact of the pandemic on

kids - physically, socially, and emotionally

• Dig into how kids are playing and

spending their free time through the
quarantine and with social distancing

• Unpack how the impact of COVID-19 will

change kids and their play patterns in the
future

3
What we did.

PHASE 1: PHASE 2:
Qualitative + Real Time Analytics Quantitative Survey
• Conducted in the US in July and • Conducted in September
August with kids nationwide • 10-minute survey among N=200 kids
• 60-minute IDIs with 8 kids ages 6-13 years 6-13 years old in the US
old
• Short homework assignment with 15 kids Kids 6-9 Kids 10-13 TOTAL
ages 6-13 years old on how kids play and N=100 N=100 N=200
see play in the future
N=100 boys and N=100 girls across ages
• Analyzed more than 800,000 digital
impressions between the months of
June and August

4
Kids Of Today

Kids are feeling the
heaviness and unease
“If I had a magic wand, I would use it to
get rid of all the diseases and viruses
around the world, so that people can live
happily and have a lot of fun again.”
– 9-year-old girl

in the world today

ONLY

31%
of kids agree that they
feel good about the
world right now

6
 They are not immune to
“I wish there was a way to the worries that are
play sports with my friends
without worrying that we will plaguing most adults
get each other sick.”
– 10-year-old boy

79%
of kids worry about the
world being different from
how it was before

78%
of kids worry about the virus
making them or someone in
their family sick

7
And kids are especially
worried about how COVID-19
has changed their day-to-day
lives

75% 82%
of kids worry about not
of kids are worried
being able to go to school
about the virus
in-person without
changing the way
restrictions (like wearing a
they play or hang out
mask and distancing)
with their friends
because of the virus

8
 With so much change, kids are
missing the normalcy of their
routines, feeling less connected
than ever before

50% 56% 47%

of kids feel less of kids feel less of kids feel less
connected to connected to connected to
their friends their classmates their teachers

86%
of kids agree that they
miss the way they
used to play and And 54% of kids agree that school is harder
hang out with their right now
friends

9
Facing such challenges,
kids of 2020 have become
even more...

Resilient
nted
-Or ie
ily
Fam

T ec
h- S ive
avv Cr e a t
y

10
“One thing that kept me happy
while staying at home was my
Despite feeling down, they feel
family because they played
with me and kept me safe.”
safe at home with their family
– 11-year-old boy

With 81% of kids staying home most days due to the

virus, they are getting lots of precious family time

“My mom made me feel

safe and plays with me
more when at home.”
– 13-year-old girl

88% More than half of

all kids feel more
of kids agree that connected than
their parents make
them feel safe from usual to their
“Playing Fortnite with my the virus parents
dad kept me happy in
quarantine.”
– 10-year-old boy

11
 And they’re leaning into
their tech skills to make
the connections they crave

62%
of kids agree that they talk to their
friends more than ever on video calls

“We FaceTime a lot more

“During quarantine, Facebook Kid
Messenger and FaceTime kept me
connected to my friends a lot.”
–11-year-old girl
now and play Animal
Crossing or Roblox. We play
and talk about it.”
– 8-year-old girl

12
Ever creative & resilient, kids are
finding workarounds and silver
linings to being at home more
“Normally, during summer, I would be at
camp, so this is the first time I have been
home. I like it. I’ve seen a lot of my family
and my grandma, and I swim with my
cousins a lot.”
– 11-year-old boy
“Our dog Anson kept me happy. We got
him during the first week of the summer,
and I didn’t mind being stuck at home so
much then.”
– 8-year-old boy
"Sometimes we FaceTime to play
Animal Crossing and we sometimes
have a movie night and set up for
that on FaceTime too.”
– 10-year-old girl
“I like to call my cousin on FaceTime
more. We once figured out a way to
play the card game Uno virtually.”
– 9-year-old girl
13
They're not letting a pandemic stop them
from doing what they love - playing
Kids are leaning into play patterns that focus on gaming,
technology, and creating/building

67% 54% 47% 40%

are playing apps and are video chatting with are playing things like are doing activities that
video games loved ones cards, puzzles, and board allow them to create and
more than before more than before games make
more than before more than before

14
The Role Of
Play Today
 As kids grow, they find their niche, hone their skills and interests,
and lean into what they excel at

- 13
Kids 6-
9 Kids 10

Jump rope, playgrounds, bike rides, outdoor games Sports, exercise

Physical Play "I like to ride my bike in the park and go hiking and camping under the
starry night sky. I love going swimming and spending time at the "I like to be outside playing sports with my family.” – 10-year-old boy
beach.” – 9-year-old girl

A variety of activities, imaginative/pretend play More specific hobbies, pop culture

Interests/Hobbies
“I like to make arts and crafts and play with Barbies.” – 8-year-old girl "I like to play chess and read stories.“ – 11-year-old boy

Smaller playdates Group outings and sleepovers

Social Play “I like to hang out with my friends, go to the movies, and play sports
“I love to play outside with friends, like my neighbor.” – 7-year-old boy
with friends.” – 11-year-old girl

Games that promote building, creating, and sharing Games that require logic and critical thinking
Video Games "I am usually playing Roblox or watching kids on YouTube on my "I play video games and use the internet to connect to friends.”16
tablet.“ – 9-year-old girl – 10-year-old boy
In this new normal, no matter the
age, kids have adapted how they play

• Making imaginative worlds through

Staying figure and pretend play
home • Learning new skills through kits and
more tutorials
• Creating and building

Indoor • Leaning into outdoor play

spaces • Finding new ways to see their friends in
posing a a safe way (swimming, walks, bike
threat rides)

• Playing video games that connect

Lack of in- to friends (Animal Crossing, Roblox,
person Minecraft, Fortnite)
hang outs • Seeing friends through virtual
hangouts

17
Three key themes emerged from our research that
are integral to how kids play today:

COMFORT EXPLORATION CONNECTION

18
 43%
Spending time with a family member in-person
45%
To keep their mental Listening to music 47%
43%
health in check, kids Watching shows, movies, and short videos
39%
63%

are turning to a variety Playing an app or video game

38%
61%

of activities for comfort Playing/cuddling with a pet

30%
36%

Going outside 38%

28%
Talking to a family member on the phone or on video 33%
When lonely, kids seek out content, chat 27%
33%
but when worried, they turn to Talking to a friend on the phone or on video chat
25%
family members to feel better Building things (like LEGO and forts)
24%
30%

Spending time alone 25%

24%
Kids 10-13 are significantly more likely to talk Reading 35%
23%
to friends on video chat (41% vs 25%) when Finding comfort in things you touch like stuffies, blankets 18%
lonely and squishes
21%
Playing with figures/dolls 24%
19%
Kids 6-9 are significantly more likely to play 30%
Doing something creative like arts and crafts or dancing
with figures/dolls (31% vs 17%) or build 17%
things (39% vs 22%) when lonely Spending time with a friend in-person 17%
15%

Lonely Worried

19
 They’re using this extra time to
discover and experiment with
new interests and develop skills
They’re delving into creative outlets like arts and
crafts, cooking/baking, and dancing

“I'm learning how to cook. I cooked dinner for my

family. I think it is an important skill for when I live on
my own, and I want to cook for my college
roommates one day.”
70%
– 10-year-old boy of kids agree that
since the virus,
“I have a business where I paint mason jars for my
they have learned
friends. They request a jar, I paint it and put their name about more things
on it, and then I put a note in the jar, and they pay me (like how to do
for it. I was just bored so I started to do it.” and make stuff)
– 11-year-old girl than ever before

20
 With inside spaces posing risks,
kids are spending more time
outdoors

“I recently got a Penny

board, so I go outside and
46%
practice a lot.”
– 9-year-old girl of kids agree they are spending
most of their free time outside

Younger kids (55%) are spending

“I like going outside and significant more time outside than
not having to worry about older kids (36%), perhaps due to
a mask” older kids leaning more into
–11-year-old boy technology play

21
Parents are also seizing the
moment to teach their kids
important life-long skills
With kids also recognizing the
importance of these skills!

66% “I often help my mom with

of kids agree that they help
around the house now
more than ever before
landscaping outside and do
more chores around the house,
since we are all at home.”
– 10-year-old boy

TikTok user @lupitaolmos7 has surged in popularity after

posting videos teaching her kids about chores. As of July,
she’s posted 10 chore-focused videos – receiving an
average of 2.1M views, 147.9K likes, and 1.4K comments.

22
 Tech has been a saving grace
for kids (& parents), keeping
them connected and occupied
Virtual connection gives kids the
opportunities to play, catch up, and
simply spend time together

Kids find creative ways to share and stay linked, such as

leaving the video call on as they go about daily routines

“I love using emojis on FaceTime to More than half of all kids are
react. It makes hanging out more fun video chatting their loved
than just talking.” - 11-year-old girl ones more now than before

23
The Future
Of Play
When kids look to the future, they are mixed on
how things will look
They hope for a world without masks and filled with hugs, but are worried that
some things won’t revert back completely

“I think I'll still be playing my tablet- Minecraft and
Roblox. I will be spending my free time playing outside
with my sister, and playing in my room with her. I will
also be doing arts and crafts.”
– 6-year-old girl
“I think in 2 years the world will be back to normal, and I will
be playing with my friends, seeing my family more, playing
video games, shopping more, reading, and more crafts.”
– 11-year-old boy

“I think I'll be doing things online instead of in-person. I will “Playing with my friends without a mask or rules.”
be spending more time at home.” – 8-year-old boy
– 7-year-old girl

"I think we will have to wear special suits to be out
and about. We won't get to play sports with other kids
like before the virus, so there will be a lot of games
online or on PS4.”
– 10-year-old boy
“I think I will still be cooking, chatting with my
friends, and doing art and crafts.”
– 12-year-old girl

25
 They're looking forward to regaining
normalcy, while also keeping some
things from this period

In 2022, kids think the following activities will…

Go Back to "Normal" Stay from Now Be Done Less Boys think they will
be playing more
• Video chatting with loved ones video games/apps
• Hanging out in-person with • Playing apps or video games
in the future than
loved ones • Learning how to do something • Building things (like LEGO and forts)
girls
• Spending time with friends new • Social media challenges (like
indoors • Cooking and/or baking experiments and dances)
• Going to activities (like camp • Doing chores around the house • Playing with dolls or figures Kids 6-9 think
or sports) they will be
• Playing things (like cards, puzzles,
• Attending big events learning how to
and board games)
(weddings and concerts) do new things
• Doing activities that allow me to
create
more in the future
than Kids 10-13

26
The key themes that
emerged from our research
will still be integral to kids
in the future, but more
emphasis will be placed on EXPLORATION that leads to
exploration more adventurous,
confident, and skilled kids

CONNECTION with Better able to

friends and closeness to COMFORT themselves
family in times of need

27
 In 2022, kids hope to keep
doing activities that challenge
them and let them be creative

Activities kids are doing more of now, and feel they will keep doing in 2022:

49% 49% 48% 47%

Will keep doing
activities that allow me
to create and make
(like arts and crafts,
slime)
Will keep playing Will keep cooking Will keep learning
things (like cards, and/or baking how to do
puzzles, and board something new
games)

“In 2022, I will want to be

“In 2022, I will be playing more reading and doing more crafts.”
board games.” – 9-year-old boy
– 11-year-old girl

28
 Kids will come out of this time
with newly honed skills, and a
better sense of themselves and
what they’re good at

One fourth of kids feel they will have

discovered and mastered a lot of new
skills by 2022

“In 2022, I will be “In 2022, I will be “In 2022, I see

making money on working part time so I myself playing
TikTok.” can earn my own Rainbow Six Siege
– 11-year-old girl money for things.” as a professional.”
– 13-year-old boy – 9-year-old boy

29
 Kids will be more adventurous,
and prioritize shared experiences
with others

Playing with Friends Traveling Getting Back to School

“In 2022, we will be able to
play basketball together
as friends.”
– 10-year-old boy
“I'll be going to sleepovers
with all my friends.”
– 9-year-old girl
“My mom, dad, grandma,
cousin, and me will all be
vacationing all over the
United States in a really cool
RV. We will be having the
best times and making
memories of our life- meeting
new people and making new
friends everywhere we go.”
– 8-year-old boy
“Hopefully, I will be
learning at school again
with my friends.”
– 6-year-old girl
“I'll be in high school
enjoying my life with my
classmates.”
– 12-year-old boy

“I will travel all over the

world.”
– 13-year-old boy

30
Kids will continue to keep
families at the center of their
worlds

1/3 of kids say they will be

closer to their parents

"In the future, I will be learning to cook,

as it helps me be close to my mom and
Dad.” – 12-year-old girl

"I think I will be spending more time with

1/4
my parents.” – 7-year-old boy
of kids say they will
help their parents
more around the
"In the future, I will be spending more house
time together with my family.” – 10-year-
old girl

31
 They will be better at seeking
comfort and managing their
feelings
The immediate need for comfort will take a back
seat, as kids will feel more confident in their support
systems and have a new set of skills to tackle
whatever comes their way

“In 2022, I will be close to my

mom, as she always talks and 1/4 of all kids say
encourages me through stuff.” they will be able to
– 8-year-old girl solve most problems
that come their way
“I would want an art book that I in the future
can use whenever I feel sad, so I
can make a dress and put stickers
on it.” – 9-year-old girl

32
Kids of 2020 are... Kids of 2022 will be…

Spending Connected
lots of time to family
Finding ways
to cope with family Masters of
their
emotions

Learning Independent
and and confident
exploring
lots of new
things
Adventurous
& skilled –
leaning into
Creative
skill-building
and resilient
as play
Tech-Fluent
Tech-Savvy

33
From now until 2022,
brands and creators can...
Inspire Learning
and Exploration
• Easy-to-use kits for
cooking/baking, arts & crafts,
experiments, and building
• Tutorial/DIY videos
• Prompts and ideas for outdoor
adventures, games, and
activities (scavenger hunts,
guided exploration through
storytelling), with indoor options
as well (obstacle course,
cleaning challenges)
Enhance
Connectivity
• Digital games that rely on
teamwork to advance
• In-person activities
to play together while socially
distant
• Video conferencing apps or
features with added digital
interaction (AR, emojis, stickers,
badges)
• Characters learning how to play
together while staying apart
Create Comforting
Experiences
• Outlets for kids to express how
they feel (songs, craft kits,
journals)
• Characters who overcome real
challenges and give them hope
• Tactile toys to help relieve
anxiety
• Family-oriented activities to
facilitate communication and
bonding
34
Kids' resilience has
proven that even
through drastic change,
kids will always adapt
and find innovative ways
to play
Thank you!
LE ARN M ORE

Tiffany Aguilar
VP of Research
MarketCast Kids
Tiffany.Aguilar@MarketCast.com

35