Teens and tweens spend their days juggling both formal and informal activities, making them a key audience for on-the-go solutions and mental wellbeing reminders.
Lisa Dubina, Senior Culture and Identity Analyst
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Executive Summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- What you need to know
- Consumer trends: key takeaways
- Market predictions
- Opportunities
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Target Audience Overview
- The teen/tween population and context
- About 22% of the US population is under 18 years old
- Graph 1: estimated population, by age, 2023
- Teens and tweens today are more diverse than previous generations
- Graph 2: population distribution by race among <55s, by age groups, 2023
- Graph 3: share of Hispanic population among <55s, by age groups, 2023
- While the majority of teens/tweens live with both parents, more than a quarter live with only one parent or an alternative guardian
- Graph 4: household context – who lives in the same household, 2024
- Child poverty rates spike after the Child Tax Credit expires
- Teen and tweens' parents are most likely to be Millennials
- Graph 5: age of parents with child under 18, 2022
- The majority of teens and tweens' parents aspire for their child to achieve a mix of high-pressure and low-pressure life goals
- Graph 6: parents' top three goals for their child – "My greatest goals as a parent are that my child…" 2024
- Market factors
- Impact of COVID-19 on teens and tweens
- The mental wellbeing crisis among US young adults continues
- Graph 7: teens' outlook on mental health and wellbeing (any agree), 2023
- On the positive side, the pandemic seems to have inspired new activities and hobbies among teens/tweens
- Graph 8: outlook on impact of COVID-19, 2024
- Parents and legislators alike seek ways to regulate and/or restrict social media usage among children and teens
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Activities: organized vs informal
- Informal, non-organized activities are more common overall among tweens and teens
- Graph 9: activities of teens/tweens, organized and informal, 2024
- High-pressure parents are more likely to have their children remain focused on only one formally-organized activity
- Graph 10: repertoire of formal and informal activities, by parent expectations, 2024
- Ages 12-14 are prime ages for tweens to explore and try out various formal activities while still maintaining their informal activities
- Graph 11: teens/tweens activities, by age, 2024
- Household income also influences the types of activities teens and tweens participate in
- Graph 12: teens/tweens activities, by household income, 2024
- Participation in formally-organized activities is likely to be multiple times a week, but not daily
- Graph 13: frequency of organized activities, 2024
- Graph 14: frequency of informal activities, 2024
- Participation in youth sports remains strong, but needs support
- Gaming is a social and all-encompassing activity that brands can effectively engage in
- Parents have more influence when it comes to formally-organized activities than informal ones
- Graph 15: activity decision-making, for organized and informal activities, 2024
- Older teens/tweens have the most independence and autonomy in choosing their formal and informal activities
- Graph 16: activity decision-making, for organized and informal activities, by age and race/ethnicity, 2024
- Activity motivations
- To have fun, for personal pride and to avoid boredom are the primary motivations behind the activities teens/tweens choose to participate in
- Graph 17: top three motivations behind formal and informal activities, 2024
- Household income impacts teens'/tweens' considerations and motivations when choosing their activities
- Graph 18: motivations behind formal activities, by household income, 2024
- Graph 19: motivations behind informal activities, by household income, 2024
- While half of teens and tweens feel pressure to participate in activities, they are also personally passionate about their hobbies and interests
- Teens/tweens from high-income households and those in academic-focused activities are more likely to feel high-pressure expectations
- Graph 20: attitudes towards passion and pressure (any agreement), by household income and type of formal activity, 2024
- Garmin offers high school seniors a fast-track to a career in tech
- Daily schedule
- After time spent at school, teens and tweens spend most of their time participating in informal activities followed by formal activities
- Graph 21: average hours a day dedicated to various activities, by age, 2024
- Brands can offer convenient, on-the-go solutions to help teens/tweens navigate their hectic, daily schedules
- Graph 22: average hours a day dedicated to various activities, by type of formal activities and type of parents, 2024
- Brands appealing to the busy, on-the-go lifestyles of teens and tweens
- There are also opportunities for brands to help teens/tweens relax, recover and avoid burnout
- Brands taking a stand to support mental health and wellness among young adults
- Tweens ages 12-14 and those participating in academic-based activities are most likely to feel overwhelmed by their busy schedule
- Graph 23: attitudes towards activities schedule – any agree – by age and race/Hispanic origin, 2024
- Graph 24: attitudes towards activities schedule – any agree – by type of parent and activity type , 2024
- The majority of teens and tweens dream of more free-time and freedom
- Teens/tweens who participate in academic activities are more likely to feel stifled and desired free time
- Graph 25: attitudes towards activities schedule – any agree – by type of parent and activity type, 2024
- Graph 26: attitudes towards free-time and freedom – any agree – by age and race/Hispanic origin, 2024
- GOAT Mentality seeks to prevent burnout among high school athletes
- Digital and social media behaviors
- The majority of teens/tweens own their own smartphone, video game console and social media accounts
- Graph 27: teen/tweens device ownership, "I have my own…" 2024
- Smartphone, social media and credit/debit ownership increases with age, while tablet and gaming console ownership decreases
- Graph 28: teen/tweens device ownership, "I have my own…" by age, 2024
- YouTube and TikTok are key spaces to engage tween and teens
- Graph 29: social media sites visited daily, 2024
- 12-14 year olds frequent the greatest variety of social media sites
- Graph 30: social media sites visited daily, by gender and by age, 2024
- Teens/tweens ages 12-14 try to be more attentive to their screen time than younger tweens
- Graph 31: attitudes towards screen time (any agreement), by age, 2024
- TikTok time-out
- Teen and tween finances
- The share of teens/tweens who receive an allowance stayed consistent since 2020, however, fewer young adults are receiving monetary gifts today
- Graph 32: how teens/tweens get their spending money, 2024 vs 2020
- As formal part-time jobs become available to older teens ages 15-17, parent-provided allowances become less common
- Graph 33: how teens/tweens get their spending money, by age, 2024
- Teens and tweens' leisure spending has seen notable changes since 2020
- Graph 34: teen/tween spending – "when I have money, I spend it on…" 2024 vs 2020
- Younger tweens are more likely to spend money on video games, while older teens' spending interests become more varied
- Graph 35: teen/tween spending – "when I have money, I spend it on…" by gender and age, 2024
- Claire's speaks to teen/tween girls' vast interests through a collab with Roblox
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Competitive Strategies
- Launch activity and innovation
- Dove and Nike launch Body Confident Sport to keep girls participating in sports activity
- Hot Pockets invests in brand redesign to better appeal to gamer teens
- Venmo enables teens to experience financial autonomy, within reason
- Doritos, Mtn Dew and Rockstar Energy Drink team up to reward Xbox fans
- Marketing and advertising
- Uber appeals to teens' desire for independence and parents' desire for safety with Uber Teen accounts
- Drunk Elephant leans into Gen Alpha's obsession with beauty and brand names
- McDonald's taps into anime fandom, appealing to teens/tweens as well as adults
- Chamerlain RTD coffee beverages offer teens' indulgent caffeine buzz on the go
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Appendix
- Market definition
- Consumer research methodology: data collection among minors
- Consumer research methodology (cont.)
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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