Much like their counterparts in the US, kids and teens in the UK are visiting YouTube now more than ever before. Just how popular the video-sharing site has become is mapped out in advertising platform SuperAwesome’s new monthly report, Kids and Teens YouTube Tracker. 

The report, which surveyed kids in the UK from preschool (through older siblings) to age 18, maps out kids’ and teens’ channel preferences and their favorite YouTubers.

It also polled kids on the amount of time spent on YouTube versus traditional TV. Broken down into gender and age segments, it offers key glimpses into kids video-watching habits.

For starters, 20% of kids ages four to six claim to be watching video via YouTube than on TV, with 30% saying they watch both equally. The data supports the idea that for the youngest generation, they are less likely to see a stark choice between linear and non-linear video content.

“I think the really interesting thing for us is we know that YouTube is really popular with kids, but actually the extent to which kids are watching really surprised us,” notes Milo Warby, research manager at SuperAwesome. “In this report, only the majority of the youngest age brackets (four- to six-year-olds) were actually watching more TV than YouTube per week.”

In addition, the report names Zoella as Queen of YouTube, dominating the Top 20 list of most popular channels for January. Roughly 13% of respondents listed the fashion and makeup icon as their favorite YouTube celebrity. And increasingly, kids described YouTube personalities as new, more authentic celebrities who make normality cool.

Notably, of the top 20 YouTube channels, only two entries (CBBC, Disney) were not YouTube personalities or gaming commentators.

In the gender and age breakdown, girls of all ages (four to six, seven to 12, 13 to 18) listed Zoella as their #1 channel of the month. Boys dissented a bit, with ages two to four and seven to 12 electing Stampylonghead (gaming commentator Joseph Garrett) as #1, and boys ages 13 to 18 naming the YouTuber KSI as their top choice.

“When you look at the specific YouTubers kids are interested in, it clusters around a couple of really key names,” says Warby. “Our top-two results actually had about 20% of all responses, which means that the competition at a much lower level is incredibly fierce. That’s why we think it’s crucial for brands to figure out which YouTubers are bubbling up in terms of popularity.”

Given the popularity of the mobile platform with today’s young audiences, the release of this new monthly YouTube Tracker is timely for companies looking to expand in this digital space.

“YouTube is increasingly part of kids lives, but also the launch of YouTube Kids really highlights that fact and the need to have more segmented data on kids and YouTube and their usage of it,” explains Sam Clough, SuperAwesome’s new director of insights. “Because we can drill down into our data this way, it means hopefully we’ll be able to map up-and-rising YouTubers, which is where everybody wants to be, and understand where the next Zoella and the next Stampy are coming from.”

Currently covering kids in the UK, SuperAwesome says the inclusion of US data in the report is imminent.

For more information or to request a copy of the latest YouTube Tracker, visit http://www.superawesome.tv/insights.