Mumbai: Kids’ content has seen a surge in demand in the recent years, especially during the pandemic. With the rise of OTT platforms, the content ecosystem has become more diversified, and kids have access to a wide range of content choices. This session discussed the latest trends in kids' content in the Indian subcontinent, including popular genres, themes, and formats. It also explored the challenges and opportunities for content creators and distributors in catering to the diverse preferences of young audiences in the region.
Leena Lele Dutta said, “Who is the Gen alpha? What is the Gen Alpha generation, there are a lot of questions around this. And,⁶ I just want to kind of recap as to this generation actually, is of the kids who are born between 2010 Going up to 2025. So two years of kids to come will be a part of Gen alpha right before that was Gen Z, and so on and so forth. So they are the kids of the millennials. And as content creators and curators, it is any which way is ever challenging to kind of face up to what are the content choices that kids make in today's world, because of the digital media being so rampant and the device in the hands of the kids all the time.”
Uttam Pal Singh said, “Just adding a few more facts to this gen Alpha shall be two billion, which is the largest generation in the history of the world. And the Indian contribution tops it and that is why the simulation really matters. I think as parents, as content creators and business owners, if you could, share some interesting insights, while interacting with the channel.”
Leena Lele Dutta said, “It is Gen Alpha. Like I said, they are in my house, it is the generation which is fast and they are exposed to so many different things on the iPad and devices. But then yet again, we are still living in Mumbai. So I think for me at home on a personal level, it is an aberration for the rest of them who are in this generation of whatever being up to 15 years or 13 years old. I think it has more to do with I think it's possibly the one thing that they also know for a fact that they are smarter than the previous generation. That's what I think is very confident.”
Sourabh Kumar said, “I want to tell you about our own incident. My son is six years old and one day after I came from the office, I started telling him how we are trying to do some business with Snapchat and I was struggling to use those filters. That was the first time he also came across that application, but he explored all the features within five minutes, showed me all the features, and how it can be used. So that was an eye opener for me. The second incident when I went to attend the PTM, and one of one of the teachers came to me and Saud your son has started using the word bro in the classroom."
Madhoo Shah said, “I was trying to figure out firstly, the difference between the millennial millennials and Gen X and Gen Z. I was trying to figure out where I am, where my children are. So when you talk about the whole generation next and understanding and how we were raised, and we will never be in agreement with our parents, we always thought that we are so cool, and our parents are not cool. Today, I really don't know where I belong. For me this whole thing, everything is new. So for me before doing anything with the children, I mean, when I became a parent first it was all about me teaching my children, I thought it's my role as a parent to guide them, teach them what should be what should not be what is correct. So I hope the role that I took on was like teaching them and showing them how to correct them. Then I realized that there's a difference. It's not them. It's a generation which is different from me. So I had to change myself to understand them better. So I can have a good relationship with them. I wanted to withhold because I thought that they wouldn't run or play in the garden but instead sit around with gadgets. So I thought this is bad for them. So the first 10 years of their lives, I was only telling them why they should not sit around with their digital device. I think that is what bridges the difference between the old generation and the new generation. And I learned that I'm also learning a lot and I started appreciating and understanding my children and not finding fault with them for having the phone, understanding that the whole world has changed. That's when I realised it's so important to grow with your children with the times with the generation. So today what I focus on is what is your interest? What is the content and what are they consuming? I don't see anything wrong. I use this whole internet and device and everything. It's just a tool, as long as we are on the same path with our children helping them to make the right choices. I think as a parent, I feel good about that. So no more deprivation, but encouraging them to see the right content.”
Uttam Pal Singh said, “How does a different generation like, you know, differentiate from Baby Boomers to Gen. X? Why is it so like Gen Alpha?” To which Manoj Mishra answered, “I'm amazed by the clarity of thoughts among these kids. They have absolute clarity on what to watch, what not to see, whether it's Action, Adventure, Comedy, what exactly the thought process, which has gone into it at this moment, when I see when I evaluate it has completely changed in comparison to whatever we used to have during our period.”
Sonali Khan said, “As I was mentioning, we met an alpha kid in the morning, who confidently said, I will make my pitch. I'm a coder. When we are talking about content, there is huge globalization of content. Children are watching so many things.I mean, you'd be surprised that they're speaking American English. I think we really need to wrap our minds around how children are absorbing content, what is it doing to them? And how is it transforming their words.”
