Children on social media: An exploratory study of their habits, online content consumption and brand experiences

As the availability of new digital technologies has increased, so too has the time people spend consuming online content. Today’s children are born into a digital world, where communication technologies and the internet are becoming increasingly accessible. This exploratory study seeks to understand children’s social media habits and their motivations for sharing their consumption processes and brand experiences through social media. The study discusses the social media platforms most commonly used by children and finds that the online content consumed by children influences their purchases in a way that can result in tangible marketing outcomes, such as increased demand for trending products, as well as the creation of new products and services. These findings suggest that brand managers would do well to identify the social media platforms used by this segment; create branded content that fosters children’s motivations (ie entertainment, recognition and the creation of memories); and encourage children to self-document their brand experiences by setting challenges or offering incentives.