For Natalie Coulter, a professor in the Department of Communication & Media Studies at York University and director of the Institute for Research on Digital Literacies, these numbers highlight the significant impact young audiences have on shaping media landscapes.
"So much of the media that we consume has been shaped by young people, and this story is often erased," says Coulter, a leading scholar in youth media known for her influential works such as Tweening the Girl: The Crystallization of the Tween Market and her role as a founding member of the Girls' Studies Research Network at York University.
Natalie Coulter
Her research investigates how marketing and media shape young people's identities, particularly through platforms such as TikTok and Roblox, an online platform where users create and play games designed by other users.
Coulter observes that children's engagement with these platforms is not just passive consumption - it actively influences their design. This focus aligns with her current projects, including one that explores the technological, political and economic contexts of media production for young audiences in Canada.
Her insights into contemporary youth media are deeply rooted in her earlier research, which began with an exploration of girls' media and the cultural shifts that accompanied the rise of the tween girl audience. This phenomenon was exemplified by the Spice Girls - a British pop group that became a cultural sensation in the 1990s, known for their catchy songs and messages of empowerment.
"When I was doing my PhD, the world was shocked at the power of the tween girl audience," she says. This realization has informed her ongoing research into how digital environments are shaped by their youngest users.
The Canadian children's media industry is not only a cultural force, but also a significant economic player on the global stage. Despite its achievements, this sector often lacks recognition within Canadian communication studies.
"The Canadian children's media industry is a huge export in Canada. We are known internationally for our children's media content," Coulter says. This oversight means that the contributions of youth media to Canada's cultural landscape remain under-explored.
Coulter's current research focuses on "kidtech," an emerging industry dedicated to creating safe digital environments for children, and digital capitalism, which refers to how economic interests shape digital content and platforms available to young audiences. She examines how global tech companies create digital spaces for children while ensuring compliance with privacy regulations.
In this context, she highlights that a substantial amount of artificial intelligence-driven content creation in children's media often goes unnoticed, raising critical concerns about the influence of technology on young audiences.
This perspective is particularly relevant as Canada grapples with legislative frameworks like Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Act. This legislation aims to regulate online streaming services to ensure they promote Canadian content and contribute to its production, addressing issues that directly affect young audiences.
Toronto's role as home to Kidscreen, the leading global children's entertainment trade publication, underscores Canada's significant position in this industry. The city has become a hub for discussions about children's media, further establishing its cultural capital in this field.
As discussions around Bill C-11 continue, recognizing Canada's long history of children's media production is crucial for ensuring this sector receives appropriate attention in policy decisions and funding opportunities.
Coulter highlights how shows like "Wapos Bay," a stop-motion animated series that follows the lives of children in a remote Cree community in Saskatchewan, and "Big Blue," which features diverse narratives about underwater adventures and environmental themes, are redefining national values and symbols through their storytelling.
Coulter's work continues to advocate for informed policymaking that acknowledges the critical role of youth media in shaping cultural narratives. "We need to pay more attention to children's media, as it really shapes the way we are positioned as an audience," she says.
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
