KEYNOTE - Building Resilience in Kids TV with Dr. G

Wednesday, February 7
10:00am - 11:00am
Pacific 21

KEYNOTE - Building Resilience in Kids TV with Dr. G

With sales of self-soothing products like fidget spinners and Squishmallows exploding during the pandemic and a multitude of parents expressing grave concerns about their kids’ mental wellness in the aftermath, Ravensburger’s ThinkFun toy division turned to resilience expert Dr. Deborah Gilboa to understand what was going on. It turns out these early warning signs were just the tip of the iceberg, and lurking beneath the surface was a crisis of alarming proportions. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 20% of kids and teens around the globe currently have a diagnosed mental health condition. And many more are struggling in various ways to cope with the highs and lows of post-pandemic life.

In October 2022, Dr. G and ThinkFun published a white paper for the toy industry that identifies eight core skills all kids need to develop in order to ensure their mental, emotional and social wellbeing. They also offered up practical suggestions for the development of new products that are already resonating at retail and providing relief and tools to families trying to support kids at every stage of improving their mental health. To continue the mission, we've asked Dr. G and Head of ThinkFun Rachele Harmuth to apply their model to the children's media industry and explore how the building blocks of resilience can be incorporated into the fabric of kids TV content. Please join us for this critical keynote presentation at Kidscreen Summit to find out what you can do to help.