Lifestyle - Disney’s KidSense 3 unlocks the emerging ‘codes’ of tweens in India

The third edition of Disney’s KidSense has unveiled the new tween ‘codes’ that are replacing the old tenets for tweens in India. These emerging codes are visible in the three Cs of tweens’ lives – Culture, Clan and Core. Disney’s KidSense 3, the qualitative study, attempts to ‘sense’ the truth and trends of the tweens – girls and boys aged 8-14 years, across metros and smaller towns.

In addition, the research also provides a peek into the future of mass tweens by researching the core life environments of ‘trendy’ tweens (aged 8-14 years belonging to SEC A+). The findings showcase similarities in the direction of this movement in tween psyche, while the pace of these changes and shifts vary for trendy and mass tweens.

While presenting Disney’s KidSense 3, Antoine Villeneuve, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Walt Disney Television International India, said, “Tweens today are wise, wired yet vulnerable. Understanding the dreams, realities, environments and aspirations of Disney Channel audience is an important pillar for creating relevant and memorable experiences that are appealing, entertaining, safe and family inclusive.”

Gitanjali Ghate, Managing Director, The Third Eye – an established Indian research agency that carried out the research – stated, “The findings from this study are remarkable because the ‘sensing’ has been done through a different process. Disney’s KidSense 3 was a collaborative research exercise with embedded observations and co-creation of data. We had tween researchers versus just tween respondents along with mothers and experts from tween’s lives.”

Some of the emerging codes of Culture from Disney’s KidSense 3 show that the trendy tween is the ‘techknow’ generation, seamlessly merging the physical and digital spaces, while the mass tween is many steps behind. Tweenglish is the new language that is vital to the tween’s identity – constantly evolving, dynamic and is visible across mediums. Investing in interests for the future – alternative careers are becoming the mainstream careers, especially for trendy tweens. While classical careers prevail for masses, there is more openness to different career choices. The study findings also show that tweens have million dollar dreams and money power is more than just purchasing power.

For the categorisation of Clans, the finding shows that the groups are the new family for tweens – whether it is a ‘Bonding’ group, where the tween can show their true self, or a ‘Badge’ group, where they showcase self. They seek the status of Badge groups and the security of Bonding Groups. The tweens have found greater openness and freedom with parents. Trendy tweens are both openly complimentary and critical of parents, while mass tweens are more conventional.

In its third year, Disney’s KidSense encapsulates the truths and trends of tweens aged 8-14 years belonging to SEC A+, A & B and mothers belonging to SEC A and B households across five cities in India. The research was collected between July 2008 and September 2008 across 300 respondents in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. The reports were collated based on surveys conducted across four modules – comprising friendship gangs of boy and girls, trendy tweens (boys and girls), focus groups of mothers with kids, and conventional and unconventional kids experts from various walks of tween’s lives.