This report looks at how digital technology fits into the daily lives of US kids—digital natives who, compared with teens and young adults, aren’t really all that digital.

Kids and teens hold a lot of spending power that's extending into households

Today’s kids are more digital than previous generations at the same age. But, while digital video is certainly an important part of kids’ media diet, we estimate that just over half of those ages 11 and younger (52.4%) will be digital video viewers this year. TV penetration is still much higher (close to nine in 10), although time spent is declining.

eMarketer vice president of business development Marissa Coslov, principal analyst Mark Dolliver and vice president of research Jennifer Pearson discuss whether distance learning works, what the knock-on consequences are and how parents are using digital to cope, handle, distract and educate their kids. They then talk about the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics, free Amazon Prime Video kids content and the impact Americans think COVID-19 will have on their personal finances.

eMarketer sales executive Michael Bruckenthal, principal analyst Mark Dolliver and junior analyst Blake Droesch discuss how traditional sports are taking lessons from esports to create a more engaging viewing experience. Then Mark and Blake talk about Apple allowing push notification ads, the details of the KIDS Act bill, how Facebook is changing its digital currency ambitions and how the popularity of streaming services influence its ads.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver and senior forecasting analyst Oscar Orozco discuss how digital adoption has made it possible—or not—for people to work, study and entertain themselves from home during the COVID-19 outbreak. Who doesn't use the internet? Do people spend more time watching Netflix or YouTube? And which platforms get the most social media attention? They then talk about Spotify Kids, faster same-day delivery and Sling TV losing customers.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver and junior analyst Blake Droesch analyze Netflix's Q4 performance and talk about why Section 230 might get revoked, new UK child privacy rules, the fate of IGTV, the coldest temperature ever recorded and more.

Amid all the handwringing about screen time—plus the demise of Toys "R" Us—one could easily imagine that kids have lost interest in toys. But they haven’t.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver and vice president of research Jennifer Pearson discuss children's behavior online, the screen time stigma and YouTube child policy changes. Then, junior analyst Blake Droesch addresses questions about a TikTok sale, Facebook's stance on political ads and a new way to limit who can reply to your tweets.

eMarketer principal analysts Nicole Perrin and Yory Wurmser check in on the ongoing privacy debate, looking at data privacy, device privacy and privacy legislation. They also discuss child privacy laws in the US, telemedicine adoption and an Apple Watch partnership.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver, junior analyst Blake Droesch and vice president of content studio Paul Verna talk about what people are watching on Disney+, TikTok's latest "curated content" idea, Hulu's new ad formats, box office records, kids' allowances and more.

The nature of kids’ screen time has change dramatically since the heyday of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and today’s screen universe is ever-expanding, presenting parents with new challenges of limiting consumption and monitoring content. New research from the Angus Reid Institute shows that parents in Canada are worried about the potential addictiveness of digital devices.

Parents are avid users of digital technology. But their usage is not a simple continuation of what they were doing before becoming parents, especially as they must be gatekeepers for their kids’ digital usage.