First findings of pan-European young audience study unveiled at KIDS Regio Forum
For children growing up in Europe today, streaming services are the primarygateway to consume media. Digital domains such as YouTube or TikTok should therefore be taken seriously, as they significantly influence how children today engage with media culture. When they visit the cinema, the focus shifts to the overall movie experience surrounding the film. These and other findings are part of "Keeping Up With Children as an Audience", a new, first-of-its-kind pan-European study, presented by Rikke Flodin in the opening keynote at the fourth edition of KIDS Regio Forum in Erfurt, Germany, today.
"Keeping Up With Children as an Audience" is a collaborative project conducted by Will&Agency/publikum.io for KIDS Regio. It is the first-of-its-kind study among 374 children aged 7-11, over 12 European territories. The findings are based on qualitative interviews, supplemented by quantitative research. Publication of the entire study, together with the KIDS Regio Forum report, is scheduled for this autumn.
Born as true digital natives in a global entertainment landscape, children today view screens as their primary gateway to media consumption. This shift significantly influences how young European audiences perceive and define the concept of ‘film’, as well as their broader understanding of entertainment. In addition to films, these screens deliver other types of content, meaning children view movies as just another form of content accessed through technology — essentially longer videos available on streaming services, conveniently positioned alongside other apps such as YouTube and TikTok.
Watching a film at home has become a social experience shared with family members. The majority of the children responded that they mostly watched films with their parents or siblings, or the whole family, providing an opportunity for family bonding.
The communal aspect of home viewing contrasts with the cinema outing where the focus shifts to the experience surrounding the movie. The appeal lies in the popcorn, the big seats, and the huge screen. As such, this is not necessarily about critically engaging with the film but more about enjoying the ambience and the spectacle.
Looking at children from 12 European countries, the research shows that a young audience looks for the same things when it comes to film and series consumption. Differences in preference are determined by age rather than by nationality or gender and, while local nuances which shape country-specific preferences can be identified, the young European audiences share more similarities than differences.
Over 60 experts from a record-number of 25 European countries gather in Erfurt, Germany, today and tomorrow to participate in the fourth edition of the KIDS Regio Forum. Held every five years, the objective of this year’s Forum is to improve overall support for European children's films. The motto "Building Bridges" illustrates the desire to better connect the various decision-making levels and stakeholders ensuring that films for young audiences are recognised within a broader context of film and cultural policy.
About KIDS Regio Forum 2024
KIDS Regio Forum 2024 takes place under the patronage of the European Parliament and the President of Eurimages, Catherine Trautmann. It is supported by the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM), the State Chancellery of Thuringia and Will&Agency/publikum.io. Organiser is the German Children's Media Foundation, Goldener Spatz.
Other supporting partners are: European Children’s Film Association, Filem'On, Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (VAF), Black Nights Film Festival, Greek Film Center, Olympia International Film Festival, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna, Film Centre of Montenegro, Cinekid Foundation Amsterdam, Netherlands Film Fund, Nordnorsk Filmsenter, Tromsø International Film Festival, Stowarzyszenie Nowe Horyzonty, TECLA PLAY Associação Cultural, Film i Skåne, Zürcher Filmstiftung, FFilm Cymru Wales, Wicked Wales Film, Creative Europe Desks Berlin-Brandenburg, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Czech Republic and North Rhine-Westphalia
About KIDS Regio
KIDS Regio is a lobbying initiative for high-quality and diverse European children's films, which sees itself as a mediator between politics and society; the film industry and science. Its particular focus is on improving the status, recognition and diversity of European productions, co-productions and distribution for such films.
Representatives of the European children's film industry come together to discuss key topics to promote children's film as a cultural asset for a diverse European film landscape.KIDS Regio is a project of the German Children's Media Foundation GOLDENER SPATZ and an initiative of Cine Regio, the network of regional film funding organisations in Europe.
The initiative is supported by the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM) and the Thuringian State Chancellery. For more information, please visit our website at www.kids-regio.org.
Katja Imhof, Press & Public RelationsGermany, Austria, Switzerland: tel: +49 361 66386-18 presse@kids-regio.org
Christian De Schutter
