Parents, take part in a landmark study on children’s television

Parents and guardians are invited to share their thoughts on children’s television as part of a landmark study that will help to shape the future of kids’ TV in Australia.

A new nationwide survey is now open, and researchers are calling on all parents to participate.

We talk to Associate Professor Liam Burke about this innovative research and how parents everywhere can take part.

Take the survey here.

Liam, tell us about your research and what you are looking to discover.

This four-year project is investigating the role of Australian kids’ TV in our lives, memories, families, and education. Our project is based at Swinburne University of Technology and works in collaboration with RMIT University and the ACTF. The research team is made up of experts in children’s media, audience research, and streaming culture. As part of this research, we’re interviewing and surveying child and adult audiences, teachers, TV producers, and an array of other people involved in children’s television. This original research is giving us an in-depth understanding of how Australians really engage with and value local kids’ TV, why and how it gets made, and the ways it impacts our culture.

Why is this research so important?

The screen industries are going through a period of intense legislative and technological change. Streaming services and global screen traffic have opened many opportunities for local kids’ TV production, distribution, and viewing, as well as creating some obstacles and uncertainty. Our research will help parents, children, policymakers, and those working in the TV industry to navigate the contemporary screen landscape and anticipate tomorrow’s.

What have been your main findings so far?

Last year we published a major report, Parents’ Perspectives On Australian Children’s Television in the Streaming Era, which presented many fascinating findings. For example, our research found that despite the expanding number of platforms where we can watch screen content, 95% of households still use television sets to watch children’s shows – but the top 10 most popular “channels” are streaming services. Parents co-viewing with their kids is still a common practice, with nine out of 10 watching at least some content with their children. We also found that parents are eager for shows they can watch as a family, which may partly explain the popularity of services like ABC iView, Netflix, and Disney+ with parents, as opposed to more adult-focused services like Prime Video.

We have also just released a second major report, Kids’ TV Memories: Audience Perspectives on the Roles and Long-term Value of Australian Children’s Television. This report charts how the direct and indirect cultural value of Australian children’s TV can last for decades.

Are there any results so far that have been surprising or unexpected?

We’ve been surprised by just how strongly Australians feel about local kids’ TV. In fact, 83% of parents believe it is important that there is children’s television available that is distinctly Australian. When asked what makes “good” Australian children’s shows, the most frequent response was that these shows were relatable. By “relatable” parents highlighted the importance of Australian accents, settings, and iconography.

This research has also uncovered a wide range of reasons that local kids’ TV is important to Australians. For example, parents who grew up overseas highlighted that local kids’ TV plays a key role in school readiness. One dad we interviewed who is originally from Mexico explained that watching shows like Little Lunch with his children helped his family better understand and prepare for the Australian school system. This is just one essential service that local kids’ TV provides, which cannot be replicated by international shows like Paw Patrol or Peppa Pig.

What are you hoping to learn from this latest survey?

This research is already resonating with audiences and industry stakeholders – our first published findings have received massive media attention and have been included in policy submissions and discussion papers. With this new nationwide survey, we want to continue our important research into the key features and functionality of streaming services that parents value, and how they find Australian kids’ TV in a crowded, often confusing, landscape of multiple devices and streaming services. We’re calling on all parents and guardians to share their insights and opinions to help shape the future of children’s television in Australia by taking part in our new survey.

Associate Professor Liam Burke is a Chief Investigator of the Australian Children’s Television Cultures research group.