Generation Alpha: understand the challenges of creating content for today's children
With technology in their hands, the Generation Alpha is considered to be a hyperconnected and globally interacted generation.
Regularly, new trendscome up, daily “trending topics” being highly discussed and shared online until it gets cringethe next day. During fluidity times for content in addition to several changes, how do we keep up with this generation without being left behind?
The Generation Alpha are the people born in between 2010 until 2024, the first 100% digital generation. These children were born already knowing the meaning of app, cloud, hashtag, tablet, selfie, global emergency, toxic relationships, fake news, COVID-19, mental health and cancel culture. Yikes! Besides naturally knowing how to use a smartphone before even learning how to talk, this generation has grown throughout several changes.
According to McCrindle research, available on the website www.generationalpha.comthis generation will always be globalThe global climate aspects, for instance, is a metter for children as in Brazil as in other countries. Greta Thunberg that says so. Among all the main characteristics, the study mentions how this generation is extremely visual..
Unlike previous generations that had only the TV or the theaters to watch what was available, today's generation watches whatever they want, how many times they want, when and wherever they want. Before, it was predominantly a passive relation in accepting what was being displayed, and nowadays, we get to choose what interests us most, or even being bombarded in social media. Therefore, in an almost direct way, generation alpha dictates the content flow of the internet, consuming trends and making up new things out there.
Inferior right there is an advertising image for the exclusive app from the series “The Amazing World of Gumball”, the “Gumball VIP App” that faces the kids audience, used to multi-screens.
Mental health and today's children
The algorithm from social media intentionally promotes a hype environment that invites all the people to enjoy and keep contact with new content. It generates an influence and a feeling of belonging to a group, and that's what Generation Alpha does and reforces very well - they grew up in this mechanism. It is in this sort of cycle that fads are made, memes, and trends, given the fact that many people talk about the same thing during the same period of time. But the overload of these trendy subjects can last really fast inside social media though.
As all habits in excess, being hyper connected might be harmful. All this overload of information can lead to an anxiety and impatience to users that can not get online. There is even a term for it: FOMOmeaning Fear Of Missing OutIt is undeniable that the high index of young people struggling with anxiety and depression might be worsened with the overuse of social media.
The awarded French short from 2018 “Best Friend” represents, in a fictional way, the dependency made with the use of social digital tools available.
Por outro lado, também observamos uma crescente unidade de pessoas e criadores de conteúdo a fim de transformar o mundo digital em um lugar mais seguro e acolhedor. Segundo o estudo da RSPH do Reino Unido, o público jovem rankeou o Youtube como a única rede social que gerou um impacto mais positivo que negativo em comparação aos outros como Instagram, Twitter e Facebook. Essa rede social apresenta todo tipo de conteúdo em vídeo online. Segundo a pesquisa TIC Kids Online Brasil 2018, oito em cada dez crianças e adolescentes do Brasil assistem a vídeos, programas, filmes ou séries na internet. Por este e mais outros motivos, essa geração se tornou alvo principal no mercado, por estarem muito inseridos na mídia e, por consequência, serem grandes consumidores.
With tablets or smartphones on their reach, a 2 years old child is already capable of accessing a YouTube channel to watch some pre-school animated videos like “Galinha Pintadinha” or “Mundo Bita”. Older kids now might want to play games such as Freefire or Minecraft, and watch teen tv shows or web series. For the reason of being often connected, the amount of content available for Generation Alpha is significantly increasing in different platforms, and as a consequence, they became today's main consumers.
This is the Royal Society for Public Health infographic that ranks some social media aspects that influence users of YouTube in levels between 1, positive, and -1, negative.
Therefore it is undeniably important that the responsables for the content creation stay tuned to the news, trends and different behaviors in society, forecast a creative look to forward projects - aiming the audience during the exhibition period. A feature film or series might take a few years since conception, investments, production, until exhibition. Not all the memes will continue to be funny in future years. Preventing yourself from passing fads, and on the other hand detaching to universal themes - something reliable to all be identified with - might be a key to create something with quality and lasting, mostly for today's children.
How to create content for Generation Alpha
Questioning our humanity, emotions, adversities and diversity gains more and more space for discussion. The Internet is no longer an utopy virtual place and now becomes a real place where it has real consequences, where we can express ourselves, find people like us and search for content that attracts us more. And that is the context where Generation Alpha has grown. In Mono’s 15 years’ experience in animation, we reunite a few current successful animations to analyze, take a look.
In the She-ra original series of 1985, the protagonist was a mature woman that use the sword powers to combat the Horde. The plot was the famous save the day e explored by narrative. All characters were all physically look-a-like and female characters looked too older for the children audience. Very similar to his twin brother series He-man, but for the female children audience. ..
At She-ra Princess of Power reboot, the main plot and characters are the same, but re-designed in a modern and more adequate way for its audience. Created by Noelle Stevenson, the protagonist Adora is a teenager with difficulties of following her destiny by her own fears; the content brings more emotional dimensions for the characters, but still is light and fun; her friends and other characters are represented in very diverse, creative and inclusive ways. The series also shows a deeper hero x villain relation, breaking the expectations about one-evil-sided villain; We get to know its multiple layers, including passion with the protagonist!
A few important details about the protagonist's clothes reveal big changes at She-ra revival. Left, the She-ra adaptation produced by DreamWorks (2018), right, her original version (1985)..
Miraculous: Ladybug is a diverse and global series, with success around the world. Not only because it is co-produced between French and Japanese production companies, the series has lots of diverse elements and many characteristics of both countries. The protagonist’s father works at a tipic boulangerie (french bakery), full of macarons and, at the same time, the protagonist has oriental physical traits, friends with diverse nationalities, just like real life is. Although it's a superhero story, the female protagonist Ladybug has Cat Noir as her partner. Seems common, but it is a very representative change, due to the low popularity of female heroes.
Diversity can be seen between the family and friends of the protagonist in the series “Miraculous: Ladybug”.
There is no magic recipe
Children are practically autonomous in the digital world and have access to diverse content on multiple platforms. It is very difficult to create a “recipe” for what would be the right type of content for children, considering that today they watch everything. Including content that is not for your age.
Holding this viewer's attention can be quite a challenge, once they're used to what is fast, instantaneous. Impatience, along with curiosity, can lead them to accelerate their maturity process and access content that does not correspond to their age. We know that every child aspires to be older and, therefore, they copy a lot of their elders' attitudes. When we create content focused on 6 to 8 years old audience, for example, it is important that the protagonist is 8 y.o., because the 7 y.o. audience will already repulse a character with 6 or even 7. In that way, we generate more identification with the general public, reaching the age group of 4, 5 years old as well. Not to mention the parents who watch together too.
As much as children watch and have access to content beyond their age, that doesn't mean that we need to present something ahead of their understanding, instead, present something unique that truly represents them. For us, content producers, we have to always be careful not to run over the necessary experience of childhood itself.
Pilar Vlog, exclusive content of thePilar's Diaryseries at Youtube
It is important to know the children's language, bring values such as respect, self love, honesty, teamwork, responsibility, and others, inherent to the content. Everything without underestimate their maturity, balancing to not be too much explanatory. We need to know how to control this movement, talk to this public and respect its maturity. Sometimes we can be more educational, others where can go more through entertainment.
At the end of the day, children are just children, any time, any place. Technology can be very useful for study, entertainment and socialization, among other values that are not yet very formed in its personality. Although this generation is very engaged technologically and socially, that doest make them less vulnerable, curious, fearless or creative. To tell stories, it is needed to hear stories. We still have much to learn and create, especially with the Generation Alpha children.
Know more:
Agencia Brasil EBC: https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/geral/noticia/2019-09/brasil-tem-243-milhoes-de-criancas-e-adolescentes-utilizando-internet
RSPH: https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/status-of-mind.html
App Gumball: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.turner.gumballvip&hl=pt_BR&gl=US
Miraculous LadyBug: https://www.miraculousladybug.com/en/
McCrindle: https://www.generationalpha.com
Estudo Geração Youtube – ESPM Media Lab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aEdheEIsAg
