Brands need to do more to help children, particularly “tweens” to be children rather than forcing them to “age up” writes Lauren Maclennan.
This spring marked the five-year anniversary of Families@Home, our qualitative tracker of family life in the UK. For this landmark year, we heard from 12 families (and 26 children), as well as a nationally representative quantitative survey of 2,000 respondents. The study explored six core dimensions of family dynamics, child development, and household decision-making.
Together is the place to be
Across discussions about entertainment, food, wellbeing, and finances, one common thread emerged: the importance of family togetherness.
We asked families what moments of joy look like in their lives. They all said the same thing: spending time together as a family unit, content, often laughing at the same things. One dad said, “It’s all four of us feeling happy at the same time, together.” Another mum described it as, “Spending time together, eating good food. Everyone happy, chatty and laughing.”
Whilst a modest ambition in itself, families actively try to encourage these moments of joy. We heard about days out, walks in nature, meals at restaurants, trips to the zoo or theme parks. Others preferred staying in and making the most of reading together, doing crafts, playing board games, ordering a takeaway, or hosting wider friends and family.
One thing is clear: despite digital distractions, parents are not having to force their children into these activities. It offers a welcome break from the overstimulation of screens, provides emotional safety and security, and gives children a sense of rootedness in their family identity. A welcome reminder that kids enjoy family time as much as their parents.
Mental health is a family matter
These activities are not just about entertainment. They represent a crucial way families prioritise their mental health. The quantitative survey found that two-thirds of parents are more worried than ever about their child’s mental health (63%). As a result, families are making sure time is spent together on activities that support wellbeing — such as spending time outdoors, going for walks, or being creative through arts and crafts.
Viewing habits and the ‘tween’ content void
We also heard about what families are watching. TV shows like The Traitors, Gladiators, Strictly Come Dancing, and Planet Earth are trusted family co-viewing opportunities. Beyond this, however, this year highlighted a distinct lack of content for ‘tweens’. Once children outgrow early favourites like Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, and Bluey, there’s little new content aimed at their age group. As a result, children begin watching shows meant for older audiences. Their favourites include Heartstopper, Superstore, Gavin and Stacey, Friends, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Young Sheldon. Not only do these verge on being inappropriate for pre-teens, they’re also not recent titles. This highlights a clear gap and lack of funding for new content aimed at older children and younger teens.
Ageing up — online and on screen
Children are “ageing up”, not only in what they watch but also in how they engage with social media. It’s not just that kids are joining these platforms at increasingly young ages — it’s the content they’re exposed to. They follow brands, influencers, entertainment and fashion trends that are often aimed at adults or much older teenagers, especially via Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
That said, it’s important to acknowledge the positives that children can gain from social media: a sense of belonging and ‘coolness’, freedom to explore and express themselves, connection with peers, and humour. These are all crucial as children grow and develop their identities. Additionally, in early May, I spoke on the Marketing Society of Ireland’s panel ‘Decoding Generation Alpha’, where we discussed how social media connects young people with fandoms beyond geographic boundaries. Basketball is a great example of a sport that many teens don’t come across naturally but have discovered via superstar players and highlights on social media.
Another area where children are “ageing up” right now is skincare. Many are using products designed for adults, driven by growing pressures to seem older and act more mature. This is not only unnecessary but potentially damaging for teen skin. It forces us to question, do the brands involved actively encourage it and should they take responsibility? Reflecting on my own skincare products — with brightly coloured packaging, fun designs and youthful appeal — I know that if my 28-year-old self finds it irresistible, my 14-year-old self certainly would have too.
Time to address marketing’s missing middle
Whilst there are plenty of brands getting it right — from the never-out-of-style Lego to the cute and cuddly collectible world of Jellycats — more brands need to support kids in staying young. Too many seem focused on helping older children and teens feel ‘grown-up’. Isn’t it time brands encouraged children to relish their youth and offered opportunities to enjoy being their actual age?
Is there opportunity?
Importantly, we have to ask whether kids even want this, and would it be worth it for brands? I would argue there is real opportunity for brands to harness youth. We’ve seen that kids value ‘being kids’ in their love of family time. Additionally, one of the key findings from this year’s Families@Home study is that for children, brands, products and games which let them express their creativity are favourites.
Take Roblox, for example, a defining platform for Gen Alpha which is more popular than ever – and growing. It lets users engage with their favourite brands and incorporate them into the creation of their own digital worlds, avatars and games. An inherently youthful digital space which encourages self-expression, socialising and play: being grown up doesn’t feel like a priority here.
Creativity is hugely important for children, and the brands that nurture it are clear favourites. Therefore is there an opportunity to fill this pre-teen gap across with brands that nurture youthfulness and imagination?
From what we have seen across the research, there is a sizeable opportunity to fill this pre-teen gap across TV, social media and consumer products. By nurturing youthfulness and imagination, brands will meet children where they really are and gain the trust of parents – fueling loyalty and fandom.
Lauren Maclennan is Research Manager with RED C Market Research.
