The Oscars, Backroom and PSY: What were kids interested in on the internet this spring?

While the international book fair in Rabat opened at the end of the week, on which Kaspersky contributes, with its partner Espace Maroc Cyberconfiance, to raising children’s awareness of digital technology, the company has also taken an interest in the interests children online, because understanding them also means being able to support them. Kaspersky’s latest Safe Kids report therefore looked at the interests of children around the world between March and May 2022.

It is seen that popular events like the Oscars have been on top of the trends. Changes in the gaming segment have also been noted, notably with the increase in popularity of the nerve-wracking game “Backrooms”. On the music side, all the glory goes to PSY for the title “That That”, in collaboration with the star of the group BTS, SUGA.

This spring has been the scene of many popular events. The Oscars made headlines, many trending hits were released and the sinister game “The Backrooms” is making a comeback. The children carefully followed all these events, which therefore influenced their interests. Kaspersky has analyzed anonymized data voluntarily provided by Safe Kids users, such as search queries, the most popular Android applications or the categories of sites requested.

As far as popular events go, Will Smith’s infamous slap in the face during the Academy Awards captured the kids’ attention and was widely discussed throughout the season. In addition, the lawsuit between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and the speculation surrounding the star couple of Spiderman, Zendaya and Tom Holland, have been particularly popular pop-culture topics. More unexpectedly, many searches for UwU – representing “a ‘cute’ face or sound”, were also observed.

The gaming section has also evolved through the spring. An interesting case is the game Backrooms, which has become popular with children in recent months. It is a creepypasta (scary content streamed over the internet) that places the player in an endless maze of randomly generated office rooms. It includes multiple levels for players to explore. Also, the game “Among US” has been on a downward trend over the past few months, with kids almost losing interest in the game.

Music is one of the most popular categories on Youtube. Among the tops contained, we find a new music video “That That”, by PSY produced by, and with SUGA, a star of the group BTS. Another new song that hit the top of searches this spring is “We don’t talk about Bruno (from the cartoon Encanto)”.

Speaking of movies or cartoons, many kids’ YouTube searches were devoted to the “My Story Animated” channel. This channel hosts stories, allegedly real, sent by teenagers. In terms of films and series, the leaders this quarter were ‘The Bad Guys’, ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’, ‘Rock Dog 2’ and ‘Heartstopper’.

This spring, children were interested in software, audio and video (43.6%), communication via the Internet (17.2%) and e-commerce (16.1%). The most popular apps on Android include YouTube (31.6%), TikTok (19%) and Whatsapp (18.3%). For Windows programs, the first place, with a huge lead, is occupied by Google Chrome (44.7%); Microsoft’s browser, Microsoft Edge, managed to get 12.6%; and the third place is occupied by the messaging platform Discord, with a share of 9.8%.

“New trends and events in popular culture have a significant impact on children’s interests. Children’s passions change rapidly, and for parents to better understand their little ones and build close relationships with them, it can be helpful to explore their interests and hobbies together. Modern parental control apps are one way to achieve this,” comments Anna Larkina, web content analyst at Kaspersky.

To ensure children have a positive online experience, Kaspersky recommends that parents:

Engage in children’s online activities from an early age, so that it’s a set norm, and they can mentor them in safe online practices. line.

Consider installing parental control apps and talk to kids about them to explain how such apps work and why it’s important to stay safe online.

Make discussions around cybersecurity more playful and fun by approaching them around games or other entertaining formats.

Spend more time communicating with children about online safety issues and measures. Try to be attentive to one’s own practices and habits. Do you use a smartphone during your conversations or your meals? Trying to identify if children are imitating your habits? Do they react differently when you put your phone away?

Ask children never to agree to privacy settings on their own and to ask for your help. Adults should make it a habit to read all confidentiality agreements.