Give Your Audience A Taste of The Real World

Remember the freedom of being a kid?

Nothing was more liberating than that first time your mom asked you to go to the store to grab milk –– all by yourself. And what was more thrilling than you and your friends exploring that creepy path in the park only to discover there was nothing but a grocery store parking lot on the other side?

Hanging with friends and roaming the neighborhood unsupervised was a rite of passage for most of us over the age of 25. It’s an antiquated way of life that feels foreign to kids today when they see it in movies or tv shows.

Unfortunately now, instead of neighborhoods or wooded trails, kids are roaming free of their parents supervision in other places –– digital spaces like Roblox. With over 75% of kids ages 9 – 12 reporting playing the game, it’s no wonder the app has become such a popular place to “socialize.” And therefore, a popular spot for brands to advertise.

But is it the kids who want to spend all their time with their face buried in a screen?

According to a recent Harris Poll conducted in partnership with The Atlantic, 75% of children wanted to meet up for real-world, screen-free, unsupervised play. Interestingly enough, in the same poll, we learned that it’s the parents that indirectly prevent this from happening. 60% are worried their kids will be injured, and half of them believe their kids will definitely be abducted.

Author of How to Live Dangerously, Warwick Cairns, says “kidnapping is so rare in the US that a child would have to be outside unsupervised, on average, for 750,000 years before being abducted.”

So, the billion dollar question is:

How do we give kids the freedom they crave while keeping parents comfortable?

As kids’ independence goes down, anxiety and depression goes up. Unsupervised, screen-free play improves not only social skills, but their overall mental wellbeing.

We believe brands have a responsibility to empower kids to get off their screens. 

More and more brands gear their marketing efforts to enter this new, virtual reality with sponsored Roblox challenges and Fortnite skins. And trust us, we get it. You’ve gotta go where your audience is.

But many brands fail to realize that they don’t have to follow culture…they can actually shape it.

Whether it’s through their messaging or creative in-store/experiential activations –– we’d love to challenge companies to foster safe environments where kids can get the type of IRL play they long for. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re selling children’s toys, first aid equipment or even seasoned rice…we’d love to connect to see how we can work together to create a culture of healthy, independent children.

Check out how we tap into deep cultural insights to connect brands with new audiences here.