While YouTube remains the most-watched video
platform among U.S. kids, TikTok is rapidly gaining both viewership and purchase influence, according to the latest study conducted by Giraffe Insights for Precise TV.
The research
surveys 2,000 U.S. children ages 2 to 12 and their parents about video consumption behaviors across broadcast TV, subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), ad-supported VOD (AVOD), connected TV and social
media to glean insights about how best to reach and engage kids.
This year’s survey, conducted in November, shows 84% of kids accessing video content through YouTube AVOD, followed
by SVODs Netflix (52%) and Disney+ (49%), then Tiktok (34%).
As for ads, asked where they see the “best” commercials,
27% cite YouTube, and 21% broadcast TV, but TikTok is virtually tied for third place with SVOD and websites.
While nearly half (48%) of kids report remembering seeing an ad on YouTube (down from
57% in Q4 2021), the proportion remembering ads from TikTok shot up from nearly zero to 16% over the same time period. Not surprisingly, the oldest children are most likely to report remembering
seeing ads on TikTok.
And
most important, nearly a third (31%) say they’ve asked their parents for something they’ve seen advertised on TikTok, and 23% say that they have been bought something that they had seen
advertised on TikTok (chart top of page). That compared to 47% saying they have not asked for or had something purchased for them due to ads on TikTok.
Some of the other
findings:
*Ninety percent of U.S. children consume YouTube content, with connected TV viewership driving YouTube’s popularity among kids. This year, 22% report watching YouTube on
CTV, up from 16% last year.
*Four in 10 kids who watch YouTube also watch YouTube Shorts, and a fifth of those who watch Shorts remember seeing Shorts ads on YouTube.
*Thirty-eight percent of parents say they worry “a little” about the content their kids are consuming on social media, and 21% worry “a lot,” with parents of kids between
six and 12 expressing the most concern.
*Targeting both parents and kids during co-viewing times is the key to effectiveness. Nearly all parents co-view content with their kids, and
nearly half do so daily. Further, seven in 10 parents say their kids have asked for something they see in an ad while co-viewing.
*Kids’ gaming watch time in increasing. Eight in
10 kids say they own or want toys from Roblox.
*One in 10 parents have used a QR code to make a purchase from a TV ad. QR-driven purchases for kids tend to be toys, food or video
games.