Read Our New Report: Growing Pains
Panelists (from left to right): Stephen Palmer, Alison Haskovec, Yalda Uhls, Pilar Alvarez, and Rory Pullens.
Childhood has changed.
On March 20th, 2025, we celebrated World Storytelling Day with National Research Group at Spotify Studios with the unveiling of a groundbreaking report, Growing Pains, on how the past twenty-five years have changed how young people navigate the world.
Through surveys of thousands of children, teens, and parents, as well as the analysis of two decades of student stories from our Young Storytellers archive, we’re excited to share the results.
Some key insights:
Life mediated by tech: For today’s kids and teens, technology has a crucial role to play in mediating their relationships with others and shaping how they see the world.
A world in permacrisis: Young people are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the state of our world and its direction of travel. To many, it feels as if we’re constantly lurching from one disaster to another. This ambient sense of a world in crisis plays a major role in shaping Gen Alpha’s views and values.
Content overload: Increasingly, Gen Alpha are looking to become empowered fans, asserting their agency by seeking out content on their own terms instead of having their tastes dictated to them by platforms’ algorithms.
Mentorship in storytelling: Guidance from mentors, teachers, and caregivers strengthens a child’s confidence in storytelling, providing them with the tools to express themselves and feel heard.
This research confirms what Young Storytellers has always believed: storytelling can shape values, build empathy, and create connection. Our young people can shape a future that belongs to us all. Let’s help them do it.
We’re deeply grateful to our panelists for sharing their insights: Stephen Palmer, Alison Haskovec, Pilar Alvarez, Rory Pullens, and Skye Townsend. Thank you to Spotify for generously hosting us, and to our incredible partners at National Research Group for their months of dedication and hard work in bringing this report to life.
