FEED issue 29 Web

22 CONTENT FOR KIDS Safeguarding and Wellbeing

Words by Neal Romanek

When every platform is desperately competing for eyeballs, how do you put kids’ wellbeing first?

he relationship between kids and screens – and parents trying to do right by their offspring – has always been an unsteady one,

US, Canada and Australia, as well as being localised in four languages. Hopster ’s video programming includes licensed popular kids programmes, as well as Hopster original content, like Clever Brenda , Two Minute Tales and Monster Math Squad . Its gaming and app content is developed entirely in-house. The company aims to make educational content for kids the cornerstone of its content strategy. “We are slightly different from the generalists, “ says Miki Chojnacka, Hopster ’s chief creative and content officer. “Everything we do is about learning.” Hopster has a head of learning on staff, a former primary school teacher, specialising in literacy and language. The company tries to have a holistic approach to learning, with a framework that embraces six areas. The basics of literacy and numeracy are there, but Hopster ’s content for kids also covers topics like mental health.

especially with advertisers and content makers trying to monetise the attention of young, impressionable audiences. In the OTT video world, the options for kids and parents have ballooned to the point where there is more content for kids now than could ever be watched in a human lifetime. Kids also have access to education resources that were sci-fi dreams a generation ago. Hopster was launched in the UK in 2013, initially as a mobile app. An early player in the streaming video world, it was also one of the first to cater solely for younger children. The subscription-only, ad-free platform offers a catalogue of shows, songs, books and educational games, and caters particularly to audiences in the UK,

DATA CAN TELL YOUWHAT WAS POPULAR YESTERDAY, BUT IT WON’T TELL YOU WHAT IS GOING TOBE POPULAR TOMORROW

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