Kids Industries’ Global Family Study finds 24% of UK kids discover new brands and products through influencers

24% of UK kids discover new brands and products through influencers they follow, according to a new study published by Kids Industries at their Global Family Conference.

The Global Family Study – carried out across 5,000 families across 10 countries, spanning six continents – found that toy influencers are viewed as more important than friends and relatives in decision-making for this category (18% versus 15%).

Over a third (34%) of UK children aged four to 13 use social media and 46% of this group play Roblox.

Elsewhere, the study found that UK children today are goal driven, with 8% aspiring to fame and 21% wanting to change the world for the better. This rises to 36% amongst kids from Nigeria.

Being happy is a goal for 50% of UK children, with a well-paid job coming in second place at 47% and having a good education ranking third with 32%.

“Children’s love for a brand is dictated by their age and developmental stages and whilst the influence of parents on children’s decision making is clear, increased access to digital products and services means that children today have increased control over their decision making. Kids have a new found independence,” said Raj Pathmanathan, Creative Director at KI.

The study also found that UK parents are the most stressed in the world, spending 2% of time more stressed consistently versus the rest of world. Confidence in their ability to parent is highest in Brazil where 81% feel they’re good at it, compared with 47% in the UK and 28% in South Korea.

Jelena Stosic, Strategy Director at KI, added: “The multiple challenges parents face are giving rise to stress and exhaustion.

“This is a concern because the increased demands create a pressurised environment for all family members, making balance more difficult. From the children’s perspective, this compounds school pressures, and goes to show why all of us – including children and parents – are craving relaxation/ease, support and community, which are currently inspiring policy makers, lobby groups and product development teams.”