CHICAGO — YouTube is the #1 website among tweens. That is according to a report on digital kids 8-11 across the U.S. by brand activation agency The Marketing Store and research partner KidSay, which reveals that among websites YouTube is by far the tween favorite.
The research captures tweens’ online behavior, including how often they access the Internet, what devices they use, favorite websites, multitasking, how they engage with social media, and what type of content they find compelling. The study also explores the motivations driving tweens’ digital behaviors and preferences, and identifies implications for marketers looking to reach the tween audience.
“There’s been a lot written about kids as digital natives, but we’ve heard little from the tweens themselves,” says Dr. Renee Weber, vice president of Strategy and Planning at The Marketing Store. “Perhaps the most surprising data we uncovered in this research, particularly from a marketing perspective, was around how few websites tweens visit regularly.”
Key findings from the new study that could improve marketers’ efforts to reach tweens:
YouTube is the #1 Website Among Kids 8-11
YouTube is THE tween favorite. 93% use it, and the site has consistently ranked as #1 with tweens over the past few years. It also isn’t just U.S. tweens who like it. In The Marketing Store’s 2012 Global Kids Study, YouTube was frequently cited as one of kids’ favorite websites. Furthermore, 69% of U.S. tweens (kids 8-11) claim to have a YouTube account despite Google’s policy that they must be 13 years old to have one.
Half of Tweens Are Visiting 2 Websites or Less On A Regular Basis
58% of digital tweens use the Internet daily, and 71% use it at least 3 days a week. However, while there are thousands of websites for kids to explore, most tweens actually visit a fairly small set. In the study, half of the kids said they visited less than two sites regularly (defined as three or more times a week). And the vast majority, a whopping 78% visit less than five. Among kids’ top websites, none were for companies or brands. For marketers, with the flood of options and tweens’ limited usage of websites, creating searchable content may be a brand’s best solution.
The Rise of the Clustershare
For tweens, like many adults, finding cool YouTube videos to share with others is a form of social currency. Unlike adults, only 28% of tweens share videos digitally (email, text or via social media). Instead, kids aged 8-11 most frequently share their finds when hanging out in person with friends and family, a phenomenon we call clustersharing. While this partly reflects that not all tweens use social media, it also reflects their desire to physically experience videos with others–to see, to feel, and to create a shared in-person experience. For brands, finding ways to enhance that in-person experience via ad content (like a group game) or finding a way to alleviate the agonizing “live” wait of a 15 second pre-roll, presents a real opportunity.
Multitasking for Kids is Highly Social and 76% of Them Do It
With tweens’ increased use of portable devices, we’re also seeing a rise in multitasking. About 3/4 of tweens use more than one electronic device at the same time. Adults often think of multitasking as a matter of efficiency–such as checking emails on their computer while talking on the phone, but for kids, the goal of multitasking is usually social. As they watch TV, they may pick up their phone or tablet to text friends or play and download apps. Others may FaceTime as they play games like Minecraft together. Brands may want to think through authentic ways of developing content or promotions that tap into this natural social behavior.
