Woburn, MA – December 16, 2020 – Kaspersky Safe Kids experts analysed anonymized children’s search request metadata during the month of November, in an effort to learn what items are showing up most often on holiday wish lists this year. They found out that the most popular game is Roblox and the most desired toy is LEGO, while bands BTS and BLACKPINK are the top music requests.
With Christmas fast approaching, people around the world are making preparations for the big day. Bearing in mind that the key stakeholders of this holiday are children, it can be hard for some parents and family members to come up with the ultimate gift ideas. Kaspersky researched kids’ top interests on the internet to help holiday shoppers be sure that the presents they buy are what their children really want this year.
According to Kaspersky’s analysis of anonymized metadata voluntarily provided by users of Kaspersky Safe Kids, children showed interest in several areas in November, including games, music, shops and shopping, toys, cartoons, services and platforms, characters, hobbies and activities, and game consoles. The top three out of these interests were games (44%), music (14%) and shopping (10%).
Children who looked for games on the internet showed most interest in Roblox (23%), Among Us (21%) and Minecraft (20%). Other popular games were Gacha Life (16%) and Fortnite (11%).
Surprisingly, despite the new generation consoles that recently went on sale, Nintendo Switch topped kids’ searches (42%), while PlayStation came in second place (36%) and Xbox third (22%). The most wanted games for Nintendo Switch console are Mario, Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
K-pop music, which has rocked the charts in recent years, is still very popular among children all over the globe. Almost half of music requests are comprised of K-pop (48%) and dominated by two favorite bands: BTS (58%) and BLACKPINK (42%). Kaspersky experts recommend parents consider checking out K-pop merchandise shops for clothing, school supplies and memorabilia, or to even purchase a Korean textbook if a child is particularly keen on Korean culture.
Last but not least, toys are still loved by kids. Notably, LEGO accounted for 51% of toys requests, followed by Barbie (22%), Playmobil sets (11%), L.O.L. Surprise! dolls (8%) and 5 Surprise Mini Brands (8%). With regard to children’s obsession with LEGO, they usually search for special editions of LEGO products, depending on their favorite game or character. Most desired LEGO sets are dedicated to Among Us (even though it’s not on the market yet), Harry Potter, Star Wars, Ninjago, Technic, City, Friends and Minecraft.
“There is a popular saying on the internet: ‘Google knows more about you than your mother does,’ which sounds ridiculously true,” said Anna Larkina, web content analysis expert at Kaspersky. “Knowing what your children search for can help parents understand their needs better, consider their intentions and even become a better friend – which is of course vital, not only ahead of Christmas but throughout the whole year.”
Kaspersky recommends caregivers find gifts from the gaming industry, explore Korean pop culture and look at LEGO sets, while keeping in mind that no present can outrank the importance of family conversation and spending quality time together.
Grownups can also install Kaspersky Safe Kids, a solution that allows you to monitor, see and search your children’s online activity across a range of devices but without encroaching on their personal space. The solution also offers useful advice on how to help children behave safely online.
To learn more about Kaspersky’s findings on children’s interests and discover other Christmas gift ideas, visit Kaspersky Daily.
Note to editors
Kaspersky’s analysis is based on anonymized metadata, voluntarily provided by users of Kaspersky Safe Kids app from October 25 to November 26, 2020. This covers search requests made by children via Bing, Google, Mail.ru, Yahoo, Yandex and YouTube more than 100 times during this period.
About Kaspersky
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