SuperAwesome shines light on digital lifestyles of SEA children

According to the company, most Southeast Asian research into digital media behaviour has focused on teens and older segments. The under-­13 audience has seen very little detailed analysis despite its huge influence on consumer trends and family purchase decisions.

SuperAwesome CEO Dylan Collins said that the under­-13 audience is one of the most influential in the world, yet there is very little direct data on its digital media behaviour.

“As we have done in the US and UK, we’re pleased to bring one of the first comprehensive studies of what kids’ digital behaviour actually looks like across ASEAN,” he added. “This has been at the top of almost every agency and brand wish­list for some time and it will make for fascinating reading.”

The study showed that that kids are quickly abandoning TV in favour of digital entertainment. When asked directly, 66 percent of kids in the region would choose only the Internet over TV if they could only pick one.

For the ASEAN kids market, mobile is the core device for media consumption. Smartphone usage is rapidly catching up to TV viewing; 70 percent of kids aged 6 to 14 take part in mobile gaming in their spare time (following closely behind TV by only 10 percent).

Out of those kids watching TV regularly, over a quarter are using a smartphone at the same time.

The study also revealed that kids across the region are more aware of snacks than toys. Food brands are the most recognized category for this audience: Over 60 percent of kids choose to spend their pocket money on easy consumables such as drinks, snacks and confectionery.

Toy brands have much lower awareness across the region, but kids were also much more richly engaged with toys, highlighting the potential opportunities in spreading awareness for this category in the region.

The study surveyed interviewed 1,800 kids aged 6­-14 across five ASEAN markets: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.