According to a January 2024 study from London-based research firm Kids Industries, 76% of six- to 14-year-olds worldwide consider themselves a fan of something—and that’s up significantly by 13% compared to last year’s data. 

This was the key takeaway presented by strategy director Jelena Stosic at Kidscreen Summit this week, drawing from a survey of 1,644 families with kids ages six to 14 in the US, the UK, India and South Korea. 

To keep kids turned on, Stosic recommends that brands create more content and products for them to interact with, including videos, toys and games, since 81% of kids want to engage with as many things related to the brand they can get their hands on.  

Brands can also employ less expensive strategies that tap into young fans’ desire to create and contribute, such as story and art contests. More than half (52%) of kids are already making their own fan art and content, and 42% regularly engage with brand content and challenges. 

Almost a fifth of kids (19%) want to actively impact brand direction, and Stosic suggests letting them pick the winners in fan contests and vote on new characters to add to the cast. 

But building fandom can also be as simple as creating content that expands the experience that kids are able to have with a show. A good example called out by Stosic is Spin Master’s Unicorn Academy series, which has quizzes on YouTube and videos featuring characters showing what’s in their backpacks.

For brands just starting to think about building fandom, research shows that 31% of kids are hoping to experience the brands they love in new ways. And for 29% of them, this means having opportunities to deepen their knowledge of a property, connecting with others about it, and sharing their fandom with family and friends. 

What kids from the UK, US, South Korea and India want to see from fandoms in the future.

What kids in different demos want to see from fandoms in the future.

Pictured: Jelena Stosic during her panel at Kidscreen Summit on Wednesday.