How kids’ real needs around comfort, control and digital wellbeing are reshaping platforms

TikTok’s announcement of a new “unwind, reset and recharge” experience might sound like a functional product update, but viewed through the lens of kids’ and teens’ behaviour it signals something much bigger. It taps directly into a shift we’ve been tracking across for more than a year: Gen Alpha’s growing desire for comfort, calm and emotional grounding inside the digital spaces that shape their everyday lives. 

Gen A may be the most digitally fluent generation yet, but they’re also growing up in a world that feels noisy, uncertain and increasingly adult. When we listen to children talk about their online experiences, they describe feeds that move too quickly, trends that age overnight and a constant pressure to keep up. This pressure creates a powerful counter current - kids want softness, familiarity and features that help them slow down rather than speed up. 

This desire shows up everywhere. It’s reflected in the rise of cosy, grounding play behaviours, from plushies and sensory stationery to the analogue collectibles that surged over spring and summer as a response to stress and exam pressure. It shows up in the popularity of gentle, creative digital spaces and in the way, children gravitate towards platforms they perceive as safe and predictable.  

When kids tell us why they love certain brands, they talk about feeling understood, supported, inspired and protected by experiences designed with their needs in mind. These motivations also appear throughout our Coolest Brands frameworks, where “safe” and “friendly” are defining attributes of the brands that win with Gen A. For example, KitKat swooped into the top 10 as a direct result of its ‘signature ASMR snap’ while YouTube held the top spot with one of our Trendspotters, Levi, calling out “I think it’s a reliable app.” 

TikTok’s new product direction acknowledges these needs, recognising that Gen A doesn’t simply crave stimulation. In fact, they crave balance and digital spaces that adapt to their energy rather than demanding more of it.  

It also reflects another pattern we see repeatedly in our year-round tracking. Kids increasingly want autonomy in how they use technology. They expect to customise their experiences, curate the pace of what they consume and manage their digital boundaries in ways that feel right for them. TikTok’s framing of “unwind” as a feature that hands control back to the user mirrors what children tell us they want from all digital products - something that respects their sophistication and helps them navigate an overstimulated ecosystem on their own terms. In our data, autonomy is one of the strongest predictors of brand relevance, because it allows children to feel agentic in spaces that are often designed for adults. 

There is an important cultural signal here for anyone designing for young people. Safety is rising up the priority list for kids themselves, not just parents. As our insights highlight, safety is no longer just about avoiding harm. It’s about avoiding negativity, avoiding overwhelm and avoiding the feeling of being lost in a feed that moves too fast. 

"YouTube is safe too because you can turn comments off. There's a restricting mode too where there's no swearing. It makes me feel happier blocking out all the negative energy" - Rose, 11 

Platforms and brands that can create emotionally literate experiences will stand out in a landscape where attention is fragmented and trust is increasingly earned, not assumed.  

TikTok’s new feature echoes kids’ broader shift toward comfort-seeking behaviours in both digital and physical worlds. It recognises that children want pockets of peace inside an always-on ecosystem and that wellbeing features are no longer a nice-to-have, they’re a core expectation. 

For brands and product developers alike, the message is clear: Gen Alpha is redefining what a healthy digital experience looks like. They’re rewarding platforms that understand the emotional context of their lives, not just jumping on the latest trend. The next generation is asking for balance, agency and calm. TikTok’s response is one early sign of how the industry will need to evolve. The real opportunity lies in creating experiences that meet kids where they truly are, rather than where the algorithm wants them to be. 

Want to learn more about how your brand can harness these insights? Get in touch with our kids and teens experts at hello@beanobrain.com or drop us a line here.