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Presented by Romy Nicolas, International Research Manager at Glance, the session combined official audience measurement data and VOD tracking across international markets to identify three major trends influencing children’s content production and distribution: Build for Scrollers, Beyond the Game and Enduring Appeal.
From Traditional TV to Social Platforms
Children’s overall screen time remains relatively stable as they grow older, but the platforms they use change significantly. In the UK, average daily viewing ranges from 2 hours and 15 minutes among children aged 4–6 to 2 hours and 31 minutes among teenagers aged 13–15.
While television remains the primary screen across age groups, smartphones account for an increasing share of viewing time, reaching 34% among 13–15-year-olds, compared with just 7% among 7–9-year-olds.
YouTube continues to dominate children's video consumption, accounting for nearly half of screen time among 10–12-year-olds, while TikTok is gaining ground among older teenagers, approaching 30% among 16–18-year-olds.
This shift is driving the first trend, Build for Scrollers, as producers and broadcasters increasingly embrace social media storytelling techniques, digital creators and vertical video formats to engage younger audiences.
Football and Global Events Drive Young Audiences
The second trend, Beyond the Game, highlights the power of major sporting events to attract young viewers and create opportunities for broadcasters.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 emerged as the highest-performing television programme across all genres in four of Europe's five largest television markets.
In the UK, the England–Argentina semi-final attracted 1.5 million viewers aged 4–15, achieving an 88.7% audience share among children. In the United States, the final reached 2.8 million viewers aged 2–11, making it the second most-watched event among this demographic after the Super Bowl.
Beyond live coverage, football-inspired animation, scripted series and unscripted formats demonstrated the potential of sports-related storytelling to extend audience engagement beyond the tournament itself.
Animation, Music and Animals Maintain Their Appeal
Despite the growing influence of digital platforms, traditional storytelling elements remain central to children's entertainment.
Glance's third trend, Enduring Appeal, confirms animation as the leading genre among young audiences, with anime-inspired productions developed outside Japan gaining visibility.
Musical storytelling continues to attract viewers, while animal characters remain a successful ingredient in children's programming. Alongside the established popularity of dogs, cats are emerging as an increasingly prominent creative theme.
Commenting on the findings, Romy Nicolas, International Research Manager at Glance, said: “Children’s screen time is relatively stable as they grow up, but where that time goes changes dramatically. Smartphones, YouTube and TikTok take a growing share as they get older, and the most successful producers are those borrowing the codes of social media while staying true to the fundamentals children have always loved: music, sport, friendship and animals. Our data shows that the hits of tomorrow sit right at that crossroads.”
The findings underline a growing challenge for the international children's content industry: developing IP that can travel across linear television, streaming and social platforms while maintaining strong characters, recognisable themes and storytelling capable of engaging young audiences.
Following its MIPJUNIOR presentation, Glance will return to the Palais des Festivals for MIPCOM 2026 on Monday, October 12.
Frédéric Vaulpré, Senior Vice-President, and Candice Alessandra, Head of Research and Client Experience, will present “Unlocking Audience & Content Dynamics: Who is Watching, What, How and Why?” in the Grand Auditorium from 9:00 to 9:45 a.m., exploring the latest audience and content consumption trends across the wider television industry.
