Parents want ads that reflect “their emotional experience as a parent,” Moonbug study finds

Content producers and marketers who hope to connect with young viewers can gather insights from the many studies that characterize children’s consumption habits and preferences. With its latest report, Moonbug is asking a slightly different question: What about mom and dad?

The media company behind hit franchises like CoComelon and Blippi queried the adults in the room to compile its 2025 State of Parenthood Report. After surveying 1,000 U.S. parents who have kids under the age of 10, and conducting in-depth interviews with 15 parents, Moonbug drew a clear conclusion: Most caregivers don’t see their families accurately represented in children’s content and associated ads.

Moonbug chose to conduct its survey to highlight the gap between what parents want from family content and what those videos actually look like. “Despite all the products, platforms, and programs built ‘for families,’ parents consistently told us the same thing: ‘This isn’t made for me,'” reads the preamble to the report.

In particular, many parents feel that the kid-friendly characters portrayed on screen do not face the same challenges that affect real-life families. When asked to describe the challenges they face at home, the highest percentage of parents (47%) said that managing their children’s emotions is their biggest roadblock. And when prompted to describe their parenthood journey by giving it a job title, the most common response (21%) was “emotional support specialist.”

Many survey respondents said that available kids’ shows do not represent that tense emotional state. Only 12% of parents said that current content reflects their lived reality. 43% called for more realistic depictions of parenting struggles rather than sanitized, unrealistic portrayals. A similar percentage of respondents said they would like to see everyday challenges depicted in children’s media.

Similar gaps exist in the world of advertising. 41% of respondents — including nearly half of the surveyed moms — said they have never encountered a brand that genuinely reflects their parenting experience. 40% claimed that ads could do more to show the emotional weight and toll of parenting.

Educational value is another quality that’s underrepresented in the current children’s entertainment landscape, according to the Moonbug report. When asked how they employ screens with their kids, the largest percentage of respondents (42%) said they rely on that tech for education and cognitive development. 36% of parents reported a desire for a stronger balance between educational messaging and entertaining scenarios.

There is plenty of research to suggest that many children’s programs are failing to meet those goals. 2024 research from SRI found that many kid-friendly YouTube videos are missing characteristics that improve comprehension. “The researchers also note that the videos rarely incorporated learning into a narrative story, and only about half of the videos directly addressed the audience to encourage interaction, the way that TV shows like Blue’s Clues or Dora the Explorer do,” reads the SRI report.

Media companies that understand these persistent gaps have the potential to captivate global audiences. The parents surveyed by Moonbug said they would respond to desired content by seeking out more episodes (42%), rewatching with kids (40%), and recommending to others (40%).

Those behaviors have informed the rapid growth of Bluey, the Australian animated series that has become the top kids’ show on streaming. Bluey depicts real, flawed characters and relatable plotlines informed by honest emotion. Parents have responded to the show with a flurry of viewership — now the rest of the industry has a chance to act on families’ stated consumption preferences.