The Children’s Media Yearbook 2017 ••• EditEd by tErri LANGAN & frANcEs tAffiNdEr 8 The Children’s Media Yearbook is a publication of The Children’s Media Foundation Director, Greg Childs Administrator, Jacqui Wells The Children’s Media Foundation P.O. Box 56614 London W13 0XS [email protected] First published 2017 © Terri Langan & Frances Taffinder for editorial material and selection © Individual authors and contributors for their contributions All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of The Children’s Media Foundation, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover. ISBN 978-0-9575-5188-6 (paperback) ISBN 978-0-9575518-9-3 (digital version) Book design by Jack Noel Welcome to the 7 2017 Yearbook research Greg Childs can reading improve 38 children’s self esteem? editor’s introduction 9 Dr Barbie Clarke and Alison David Terri Langan the realitY of 41 virtual for kids current Alison Norrington can You groW an open 45 affairs and mind through plaY? industrY neWs Rebecca Atkinson children’s media 11 rethinking 47 foundation revieW toddlers and tv Anna Home OBE Cary Bazalgette concerns about kids and fake neWs 51 media 14 Dr Becky Parry Anne Longfield OBE coming of age online: 54 animation uk 17 the case for Youth-led Helen Brunsdon and Kate O’Connor digital resilience Sam Lawyer and Yara Farran Joined-up thinking? 20 uk children’s tv production from screen to page: 57 Jeanette Steemers children’s media in their Writing online safetY 23 Lucy Taylor and azoomee Estelle Lloyd “it Wasn’t reallY 61 about the pokémon”: funk – reaching out to 26 parents’ perspectives on a a forgotten target group location-based mobile game Margret Albers Kiley Sobel beano relaunch 29 call for regulation 66 Emma Scott – children’s data in personalized books and children’s content – 33 reading resources addressing its decline in public service broadcasting Dr Natalia Kucirkova Anne Wood CBE general content nostalgia proJect hope 70 musical Youth: 94 Lucy Murphy mY unlikelY heroes of the 80s opportunities in the 72 children’s film Chris Banks industrY and theY call it 96 Tim Clague puppet love “humour is verY 75 Warrick Brownlow-Pike much a social, a tWinklY time, 98 interpersonal act” long, long ago… Laverne Antrobus Simon Partington unboxing … 77 a toddler’s glass of Wine? fareWell Nellie McQuinn John noakes: 100 “Where’s sian?” – 79 a tribute the importance of Richard Marson female friendships peter sallis: a tribute 104 Katie Steed Nick Park values are the 82 neW black! mYke crosbY 105 1961 – maY 2017 David Hallam Karl Woolley everYthing is the 85 same, onlY different: the fundamental contributors 106 needs of children Katie French children’s 90 documentaries: My Life – alive and Well in a digital World Kez Margrie Welcome to the 2017 Yearbook greg childs 6 Children’s Media Yearbook 2017 This is the fifth edition of the Children’s Media this Yearbook. We are grateful Yearbook and the first to be distributed to every for that and for their guidance delegate at the Children’s Media Conference in in general. We are also indebted Sheffield. to the other contributors – many from the children’s media It’s a proud moment for the all campaigns we initiated or industry – who make this book Children’s Media Foundation. contributed to – including the such an interesting read and a Thanks to the generous financial idea of a Contestable Fund for great record of the children’s support of the Authors’ Public Service Content, which media year. Licensing and Collecting Society was originally proposed by the Please recommend (ALCS) and Kids Industries, CMF back in 2011. it to friends and we are able to bring this In a relatively short colleagues. Copies can be publication to a much wider time, we’ve changed the downloaded or paperbacks audience. We hope you enjoy nature of the conversation purchased at: http://www. the mix of information, research around kids and media in the thechildrensmediafoundation. and opinion the Yearbook UK. Politicians now readily org/childrens-media- offers. It’s an annual snapshot accept that children’s media yearbook-2017 of the state of the children’s matters, whereas in the past And please help us to help media industry and the they dismissed the idea. They the children’s media industry children’s and youth audience. agree that UK-made content is in the UK be the best that it The CMF represents that important, because kids deserve can be. Join as a supporter or audience. We act as its advocate, to see themselves and hear their patron, or attach your company lobbying in Parliament, meeting own stories, and that in turn as a corporate supporter. ministers, civil servants and helps hold together our diverse Our only source of funding is regulators, responding to public society. There has even been donations from people who are consultations and hosting progress in getting the press to as passionate as we are about public meetings. Tax incentives understand that the arguments the children’s audience. Please for the creative industries, the about content quality, screen be one of them. http://www. future of children’s and youth time and the effects of media thechildrensmediafoundation.org/ content at the BBC, Channel on the young should be based support 4 and the other commercial on legitimate research, not public service broadcasters, fair scaremongering. Greg Childs regulation of in-app payments, Members of the CMF Director greater emphasis on online Academic Advisory Board have The Children’s Media safety for children – these are written some of the articles in Foundation 7 8 Children’s Media Yearbook 2017 editor’s introduction terri langan This is the second year I’ve edited the Children’s Media Yearbook and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the contributing writers. They all give their time freely and it is so appreciated. There is a fantastic range of articles this animator, composer and puppeteer. year with reflections on every aspect of Our back page this year is graced children’s content. The book contains the by the indomitable Richard McCourt latest thinking on policy, research, business and Dominic Wood. Dick and Dom will issues and creativity. We look at issues celebrate their 21st year as the favourite currently affecting the children’s media duo of children’s TV at the Children’s industry such as the Contestable Fund, Media Conference in July 2017. the “Growing Up Digital” report and Several articles this year reflect content the decline of children’s content in public that will be discussed at the CMC, so we’re service broadcasting. Fake news, protecting really pleased that the Yearbook will be children’s data and children’s self-esteem are made available to all CMC delegates this just a few of the insightful research topics year for the first time. It tells us a great this year. deal about the variety and resilience of the There are pieces on Project Hope, children’s media industry in the UK, about Pokémon, Beano Studios and the ever- the way children’s viewing and playing has popular unboxing videos, along with fragmented onto multiple platforms, and nostalgic articles on how the first sparks of about their continuing passion for content. interest appeared from a young age for an 9 CURRENT AFFAIRS AND INDUSTRY NEWS 10 Children’s Media Yearbook 2017 children’s media foundation revieW anna home obe Since I wrote the foreword to the 2016 Yearbook, the world in which we live and work has changed dramatically. Brexit, the sudden departure of David 2016, and after consultation and debate in Cameron, the advent of Trump, a snap UK which CMF took an active part, the final election, and as I write in May 2017, the settlement was reached in the autumn. likelihood of a Tory landslide victory in It was less radical than some had feared, the June election followed by a potential although concerns remained about board hard Brexit. None of this appeared to be on structure, and the future role of Ofcom as it the cards this time last year and it will all takes on the regulatory function previously continue to have an impact on the children’s carried out by the BBC Trust. media world. As far as children are concerned, CMF has been active throughout the Ofcom will now set the amount of both year, involved in a number of important hours of transmission and (this is new) the policy changes and developments which will hours of first-run original content for both affect the children’s audience. CBeebies and CBBC. The hours initially The government published its draft proposed are more or less the same as those proposal on the new BBC charter in May in 2016. However, it remains to be seen 11 CURRENT AFFAIRS AND INDUSTRY NEWS how this system will develop and whether is somewhat vague and open to a variety in the future it will result in sufficiently new of interpretations. It also, of course, and varied content for the audience. depends on the attitude of the commercial More recently, in the last few hours of companies. the final debate on the Digital Economy Bill, CMF will be working with all the other Ofcom was given powers to impose quotas concerned parties, Save Kids’ Content, on children’s commercial public service Pact, Animation UK etc., to ensure that broadcasters (PSBs – ITV and Channels 4 maximum benefit is gained for the UK and 5).