The digital behavior of Colombian teenagers and children currently moves across different platforms. This is demonstrated by the continuous studies of Kids Corp, a platform focused on advertising for children that constantly studies the behavior of children and teenagers.
In this sense, the latest report from the company showed that the platform most used by Colombians between the ages of three and 18 is YouTube with 75% of preferences, followed by WhatsApp, with 65%; TikTok, with 51%; Instagram, with 46%; Facebook, with 45%; YouTube Kids, with 32%; and Messenger, with 27%.
Funny and blooper content tops the list of videos watched by these generations with 74%, and musicals are in second place with 60%.
While unboxing videos have a reception of 55% and tutorials reach 51%. And what do young people do on social networks?
The study showed that, for example, on Instagram, most of the time, 80% of them are dedicated to observation and the activity of following others occupies only 37%. The publishing action reaches 19%.
When it comes to chatting, WhatsApp is the preferred social network for 74% of the children studied. Facebook Messenger has only 21% use by these generations and Instagram loses participation for this activity, as it is used by only 12%, followed by Telegram, with 7%.
Along these same lines, it was shown that 38% of publications were; 36 correspond to photos and selfies; 22% are videos; tales 8% and reels or tales only 7%. Otherwise, this digital native population, who are part Gen Z and part Alpha, inhabit digital ecosystems following their favorite content creators.
In Latin America, the most prominent content creators are mainly Mexicans and Colombians. The favorite tiktoker is Luisito Communicate among 13% of the participants. He shares the podium with Los Polinesios and Sebastián Villalobos; then there is Juanpa Zurita, with 12%; Lola the cow with 11% and Sofía Castro with 10%.
As in previous generations, the phone is the primary device for consuming content. Adolescents and children access online content via smartphone in 61%; smart TVs (27%) and computers (20%).
Moving on to the game universe in Colombia, which has gained significant relevance among children and teenagers, it was evident that Minecraft is the video game at the top of the list with 21%. However, the second is Roblox with a slight difference, as it has 20% favoritism. In third place is Call of Duty, with 17%, followed by Among Us, with 15%; and the top five is closed by Fifa, with 14%.
As Tatiana González, country manager of Kids Corp Colombia explains, “the metaverse is becoming increasingly relevant, with more natural spaces for children than for adults. Roblox is used by more than 13 million children and teenagers in Latin America and Fortnite and Minecraft, to name the most popular, are virtual experiences designed for children and teenagers”.
Video content and video games are among the favorite entertainment activities. “Access to entertainment through a mobile device is on the rise, and children are choosing to watch videos (78%), mostly on YouTube and YouTube Kids, and play video games in 64%, these data which ongoing analysis shows are very above activities such as watching television, chosen by only 42% of the segment, according to González.
Additionally, the study revealed the favorite brands of these generations. The top five are led by Disney in first place with 12% favoritism; followed by Adidas, with a preference of 9%. Then there’s YouTube with a 7% slope; to which is added Apple, with 6%. Netflix closes the top five with a preference of 5%.
Barriers in the digital ecosystem
Despite the fact that these generations of digital natives have an affinity for platforms and social networks, there are still tensions affecting their navigation in the digital world. For example, regarding social networks, 42% say their parents don’t allow them to have them and something similar happens with video games, since 23% confirm the same reason in using these platforms. In addition, parental care and control play an important role, since in terms of consumption on YouTube, 48% of Colombian children and adolescents are always under this supervision.
