Report: Kids’ programmes increasingly inspired by social media

Glance, a specialist in TV and video market intelligence, has presented its MIPJUNIOR 2026 keynote exploring ‘Next-Gen Viewing: Trends Shaping Children’s Content’ at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes. In the session, Glance’s International Research Manager, Romy Nicolas, drew on official audience measurement data and specialist VoD tracking across key markets to reveal how, when and what children are watching.

She explored 11 programmes from 12 territories that have struck a chord with young audiences, alongside upcoming projects that hint at the next big trends, organised around three themes: Build for Scrollers, Beyond the Game and Enduring Appeal. “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,” explained Nicolas.

How kids are watching: Build for Scrollers Nicolas opened with the evolution of children’s viewing as they grow up. In the UK, average daily viewing time varies by only 16 minutes across age groups, from 2 hours 15 minutes among 4 to 6 year-olds to 2 hours 31 minutes among 13 to 15 year-olds.

The TV set remains the main screen for every age group, but smartphones gain ground with age, accounting for 34 per cent of screen time among 13 to 15 year-olds, compared with 18 per cent among 10 to 12 year-olds and just 7 per cent among 7 to 9 year-olds. Video-sharing platforms dominate across all ages.

YouTube captures nearly half of 10 to 12 year-olds’ screen time, while TikTok emerges as its main rival among older children, reaching almost 30 per cent among 16 to 18 year-olds, close behind YouTube. Following these shifts in children’s usage, Build for Scrollers, the first trend outlined by Nicolas, revealed that more and more children’s programmes are inspired by social media culture, storytelling and creators.

Platforms are increasingly partnering with digital-native talent, bringing their audiences and storytelling codes into more traditional distribution environments while also experimenting with formats themselves, and going into verticalisation. When kids are watching: Beyond the Game The session then asked whether major events bring children to the screen, focusing this year on football.

Even among young viewers, summer 2026 was shaped by the FIFA World Cup. In four of the five big European markets, the World Cup was the number one performing programme, across all genres. The UK recorded the highest children’s viewing market share of any country, with 88.7 per cent of 4 to 15 year-olds tuning in to the England vs Argentina semi-final, or 1.5 million children.

Co-host the US reached 2.8 million 2 to 11 year-olds for the final, second-best performance after the Super Bowl. These co-viewing moments revealed the second trend, Beyond the Game, global events with local opportunities, as broadcasters capitalised on the tournament with dedicated programming.

In addition to animated sports-fantasy series, Nicolas explained that football stories also travelled well beyond the tournament, with live-action series and unscripted shows performing strongly. What kids are watching: Enduring Appeal The third trend, Enduring Appeal, showed that classic ingredients drive renewed success, with animation remaining children’s favourite genre.

In terms of format and visual style, Glance is seeing the rise of anime-inspired content produced outside Japan. Musical series remain popular alongside animals which continue to be a very strong character territory. After dogs, cats appear to also be gaining momentum.

Blending audience data with international creative inspiration and a variety of examples of success, the session gave attendees a clear picture of how young people’s viewing habits are evolving and which stories are cutting through. From creator-led formats and vertical series to football-themed programming and the timeless pull of music and animals, Nicolas highlighted that the next generation of TV hits will come from producers who meet children where they watch, while never losing sight of what they love.