My Kid Loves Games, TikTok, & YouTube... Is That a Problem?

What happens when young people spend hours gaming, editing videos, scrolling TikTok or watching YouTube?

Are they wasting time… or developing skills adults don’t always recognise?

In this thoughtful and refreshingly balanced conversation, we explore the growing gap between how young people engage with digital platforms and how parents often interpret that behaviour.

Bringing together voices from games, animation, education and production, the panel looks beyond the headlines and asks whether gaming, content creation and online communities are building creativity, resilience and transferable skills in ways we don’t always acknowledge.

Across the episode, the conversation explores what parents are really worried about when they think about screen time, the difference between passive consumption and active creation, and why ideas like 'games literacy' may become increasingly important in the future. This roundtable discusses how gaming can develop problem-solving, decision-making and learning through failure, while also unpacking the surprising links between video editing, storytelling, short-form content and modern creative careers.

The discussion also examines how studios are adapting to changing audience behaviours, what creative employers are noticing in the next generation of talent, and whether visual and motion literacy are becoming just as important as traditional forms of communication.

Importantly, the episode doesn’t ignore the challenges. The panel talks honestly about healthy boundaries, digital wellbeing and the moments when parents should step in, while offering practical advice for supporting curiosity without turning every hobby into a career plan.

No judgement. No panic. Just an honest conversation about creativity, technology, learning and whether young people might already be developing skills for a world that adults are still catching up to.

Guests:

Del Walker - Lead Character Artist at Absurd Ventures, Professor of Arts at Norwich University and BAFTA committee member Marcia Deakin - Co-Founder, NextGen Skills Academy Grace Lane - Senior Communications Manager at Blue Zoo Animation Studio Lauren Middleton - Senior Games Production Coordinator at Framestore, Limit Break Mentor and Women in Games Ambassador