Kids Podcast Boom: Nearly Half Of Children Listen Weekly According To New Report

EXCLUSIVE: The kids podcast world is booming, according to a new report.

All Ears: The Booming Children’s & Family Podcast Market, a study put together by UTA, has found that children’s passion for podcast has grown over the last year with 93% of parents surveyed saying that their children have become more interested in podcasts over the last twelve months.

It also found that nearly half (48%) of U.S. children between the ages of 3-12 listen to or watch podcasts weekly. It also discovered that children, rather than parents, are the ones who typically initiate their time listening to podcasts with seven in 10 parents whose children consume podcasts regularly say their child is most likely to seek them out, instead of the parents suggesting them.

The report, which is based on a nationally representative survey of 1,000 U.S. parents, was put together by UTA IQ, the agency’s research, analytics, and insights division led by Joe Kessler.

Other findings: Nearly half (48%) of kid podcast fans consume podcasts with a parent always or most of the time, while 71% do so at least half of the time, underscoring the importance on co-listening.

Some 65% of kid podcast fans and their parents discover children’s podcasts based on recommendations from family and friends, while 58% get suggestions from social media.

In terms of genres, comedy, action/adventure, stories, education, and music/nursery rhymes have yielded the most interest with 93% of the parents surveyed saying their children are more likely to listen if the podcast is based on a character or entertainment franchise their child already knows. 

Children listen or watch at home the most often, with the largest share of consumption happening on weekends and afternoons, children are most likely to enjoy podcasts for 11 to 20 minutes at a time, 82% of children consume podcasts on YouTube, while 55% do so on Spotify and 9 in 10 parents with children who consume podcasts at least monthly are willing to pay for a subscription to podcasts. 

UTA reps kids podcasts including Tinkercast’s Wow in the World, Gen-Z Media, GoKidGo, Brains On and Stories Podcast and recently invested in children and family-focused Starglow Media set up by former agent Jed Baker.

“Family podcasts have become an important part of how children play and learn and are poised for continued growth in the years to come,” said Partner & Head of UTA Audio Oren Rosenbaum. “Creating content that’s not only child-friendly but also enjoyable for parents offers a special opportunity for families to spend quality time together. We’re dedicated to expanding the range and quality of choices for both children and their parents in this exciting space.”