Growing up can be difficult, but it seems that millennials and members of Generation Z have found a way to slip back into childhood and forget their often stressful adult lives.
According to the recent YPulse “Kidulting Trend Report”, nearly 70% of 13- to 39-year-olds admit to rewatching children’s content that they enjoyed as kids. This trend is especially pronounced among 18- to 24-year-olds, 68% of whom say they rewatch the children’s movies they saw while growing up, and 63% of whom say they rewatch children’s TV shows.
This form of nostalgia is equally prevalent among 13- to 17-year-olds (66% and 59%), and 25- to 39-year-olds (67% and 60%). While millennials feature among the most avid consumers of throwback children’s content, this trend is probably amplified by their current role as parents.
Nostalgia is also a main driver, with half of respondents claiming that revisiting their favourite childhood movies and TV shows allows them to escape the pressures and anxieties of their adult lives. This goes beyond mere entertainment, offering a form of therapy and connection with their inner child, especially in a world where mental health issues are increasingly recognised and discussed.
This trend has also been seen in the world of podcasts, with “rewatch” podcasts based on past TV shows emerging in recent years.
According to YPulse’s analysis, watching content they enjoyed as children brings a form of comfort to young people. So it’s no surprise that classics like “SpongeBob SquarePants”, “Tom and Jerry”, and “Rugrats” rank as their top three favourite childhood shows.
Moreover, “SpongeBob” still ranks among young people’s current favourite programmes, along with “South Park” and “The Simpsons”, according to separate data from YPulse.
“The role that childhood media – new or old – plays in the lives of Gen Z and millennials reflects more than just a fondness for the past. They are drawn to kids’ content because they genuinely enjoy it today, and it brings them comfort, whether they grew up watching it or not,” YPulse explains.
“Today’s teens and young adults continue to find joy in content made for kids, especially as newly released content approaches more adult, emotional topics with a gentleness and nuance that older kids’ content didn’t necessarily have.”
Nevertheless, current shows are not to be outdone: 43% of those surveyed watch current or new children’s content. These new shows and movies allow them to share special moments with their children, or simply to enjoy the often fun and lighthearted tone of such content.