By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
A lot of negative things have been said about adults and children alike spending too much time in front of a screen, but research from entertainment giant Wildbrain found that screen time spent together can help families bond.
Wildbrain commissioned research on screen time by the research company Savanta. The resulting report explores the perceptions of families in the US about the shows they watch and the games they play, and provides insights into the content consumption habits of American families. Savanta surveyed approximately 2,091 parents and children in the United States in November, 2024.
Wildbrain says the most important data from that survey points to the value of shared experience in consuming content, as opposed to watching TV or playing video games alone.
“The research shows that families rate watching content together to be their third-most important bonding activity after only mealtime and travelling together, and ahead of experiences like sports, arts and crafts, theme parks, concerts, museums, and shopping,” Wildbrain said in a summary of the data. “Family viewing is especially important to younger parents, the majority of whom (71% Gen Z and 61% Millennials) watch content together with their kids at least once a day, while Gen X parents (49%) appreciate that it provides a low-effort way to bond with their children.
“The findings also show that family viewing goes beyond just having videos play in the background, with the majority of parents (89%) actively watching the same screen or device as their children.”
As a reporter, I’ve written several stories on the potential harm of too much screen time, but it’s also true that as a parent I have seen the value of sharing screen time with my kids, as well as the value of my kids spending screen time together.
When my children were young, we usually watched shows together, or not at all. We also played a wide variety of ‘co-op’ video games, like the 1990s gaming hit Super Mario Kart. To me, while we were playing in front of a screen, the experience was like any other form of shared play, and certainly helped us bond as a family.Even today, I use gaming to connect with family members who live in different parts of the world. While I rarely play a video game by myself, I will sit down a few times a week and play World of Tanks with my two brothers, both of whom live in different cities. While we are connecting over a screen and a set of headphones, this semi-regular virtual event keeps us in contact in a very real way.
Emma Witkowski, the VP of Media Solutions at WildBrain, says that’s exactly what’s happening with families.
“Building off our research from last year, it’s striking to see in our new research just how important content-viewing and gaming time have become to families,” she said. “Screentime isn’t just for babysitting anymore; it has become an important bonding experience, and parents are just as engaged in what’s on the screen as their kids, presenting a unique opportunity for brands to engage audiences and generate interest.”
Gaming Offers Families More Ways to Connect
The concept hasn’t changed since the time I raced around a virtual track with my kids, but the games themselves have.The Wildbrain report shows that the immersive gaming metaverse of Roblox is now the top choice for families. Parents said they like Roblox and similar platforms like Minecraft and Fortnite because they are not only entertaining, but provide opportunities for family bonding through interactive play that can often be educational as well.
Roblox emerged as the top platform for kids (69%), followed by Minecraft (63%), and Fortnite (55%). Kids aged 9-12 are the most active Roblox players (76% using the platform), while teens aged 13-15 are the most active users on Fortnite (65%).
YouTube was also shown to be a key part of the entertainment infrastructure for families, partly because it is a trusted resource for parents and kids to learn about video gaming.
“Children aged 6-15 trust YouTube the most to tell them what video games to play, while YouTube is the primary destination for watching gaming-based content,” the report says. “More than 70% of children like to see their favorite video and gaming characters on YouTube.”
Kids Learn Traditional Values Through Newfangled Technologies
While the tech might be cutting edge, parents said that nostalgia is a key driver in choosing which content to watch. As well, because parents are sharing shows and movies from their own childhood, the Wildbrain report says sharing screen time helps create a sense of continuity and “shared family history.” In that sense, the experience of watching shows or playing games together helps build shared family values. Overwhelmingly, the survey showed that parents seek out content that is age appropriate and family friendly.
Witkowski says that’s good news for content creators like Wildbrain, Disney, or other studios that have powerful evergreen brands for children.
“Nostalgia as a key decision-driver for parents speaks directly to WildBrain’s core capabilities,” Witkowski said. “Our expansive presence across platforms offers COPPA- and CARU-compliant opportunities to reach parents and engage families.
“Through our world-leading YouTube network and our capacity as a dominant player in the kids’ and family FAST space, we position brands alongside broadcast-quality, premium content featuring well-known properties, such as Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, and many more. Additionally, we offer advanced capabilities in brand integrations on leading gaming platforms.
(Editor’s note: COPPA is the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. CARU is the Children’s Advertising Review Unit, established in 1974 to promote responsible advertising to children and help companies comply with COPPA guidelines.)
Families Embrace the Concept of Licensed Cross-Platform Brands
Wildbrain, a company that is heavily involved in licensing globally, also found that using licensing to interact with families across multiple platforms is resonating with consumers.
The Savanta survey data shows that brands looking to engage with parents and kids “should adopt cross-platform brand-integration strategies that contemplate leveraging the reach of YouTube, gaming, FAST, and AVOD.”
Put a simpler way, kids love stories and characters, and so they also love meeting those characters in more interactive ways. For example, survey respondents indicated that children enjoy dressing their avatars in character-related costumes, or by playing as part of their favorite characters’ teams in a video game.
Parents, who are basically just kids who have grown up, also have the same interests. Eight out of 10 said they would like to see new platform-character crossovers. In particular, brand integrations on gaming platforms are effective in influencing family purchases, especially for entertainment and food.
“This important family time presents key opportunities for brands to reach parents,” Wildbrain notes. The majority of parents (71%) have made purchases in the past based on brands they have seen when watching video content or gaming with their child, and two-thirds of children have asked their parents to buy them a toy or game after seeing a real-life brand in a video game.
“Today’s families are bonding over content and games, generating conversations and fandom that build enthusiasm to engage with brands off screen through products and experiences,” said Witkowski. “Our Media Solutions team at WildBrain is the ideal partner to help brand owners develop and implement effective cross-platform integration strategies to leverage these trends and engage families where they spend time together.”
https://www.thelicensingletter.com/lion-forges-iyanu-brings-a-global-opportunity-to-toy-fair/