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What are the main interests of 8-12 year old kids from Brazil?
Hello and thank you for asking Wonder! I understand that you are seeking the main interests of children ages 8-12 in Brazil. The most helpful sources I found were an article from Tech In Brazil and one from The Brazil Business. After checking numerous studies, surveys, research documents, and more, I found that information on the tone kids use and where parents talk about their kids, or find information, was not available. However, available information shows that sports are very popular among boys, especially soccer. While girls are active in sports in school, they are more likely to be involved in something like dance outside of it. The largest reason for using the internet is for school research, but social networking is the next largest reason. Facebook is the most popular social network by far. Many popular TV shows are ones common in the US, such as Spongebob.
METHODOLOGY
During my research, I found that not all of the requested data was available. My research encompassed many different articles, studies, surveys, research papers, NGO sites, and more. I also searched in both English and Portuguese. Information that did not come up was the tone used between youth, but I have found related data that has been included. Also, there was not specific information on where parents talk about their kids or look for certain information, but I have found popular websites on related subjects. Wherever possible, data no older than 3 years has been used. There were some cases where that was not possible, which has been noted.
BRAZILIAN CHILDREN'S INTERESTS
Games/Play:
According to interviews about children's pastimes, in Brazil, children play a number of different games and sports. These are for kids in general, covering the ages of 8-12, but not exclusively so. Queimada is a popular children's game among both boys and girls, which is kind of like dodgeball. There is also pega pega, which is tag, cinco marias, which is similar to jacks, and hit the coin, which is a game where kids try to knock an object off a stick. Other popular options are swimming and soccer. In school, both boys and girls play the same sports. However, in terms of recreation outside of school, boys tend to play soccer and/or are involved in something like karate or jiu jitsu. Girls, on the other hand, tend to be involved in dancing. While these continue to be major interests of children, a shift to things like television and video games is being seen.
Media/Internet:
According to a 2013 study (there was not a more recent study with this exact data), they outlined the different reasons why children aged 9-17 used the internet. The top ten were:
2. Social networking: 81%
3. Search engines: 80%
4. Watching videos: 68%
5. Playing games (single-player): 57%
6. Posting on social networks (specifically photos, videos, and/or songs): 56%
7. Downloading movies and/or music: 50%
8. Posting on web pages: 42%
9. Using messaging services to communicate with friends: 39%
10. Checking/sending e-mail: 36%
The most popular social networking site by far is Facebook, used by 87% of those surveyed. The others are Google+ (37%) and Instagram (16%).
The most popular apps for children in Brazil include PlayKids and Kuddle (aka Kudos). The most popular messaging app in the country as a whole is WhatsApp, which is used by youth, as well.
When it comes to TV, according to a report by Internews Europe, the most popular stations among kids are: "Cartoon Network, DiscoveryKids, Nickelodeon and Gloob – the Globo child TV channel". Specific shows that are popular include "Dragon Ball Z and GT, Digimon, Beyblade, Yu-Gi-Oh!, SpongeBob Square Pants, The Fairly Odd Parents, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Simpsons, Totally Spies and Dungeons and Dragons".
Tone:
There is little information on the youth language in Brazil, as it does not seem to be a topic that is frequently discussed. However, some slang terms used among youth in the country include pivetes (street kids) and E aí, cara? (what's up dude?).
Additionally, kids may relate to other kids on a number of different levels. For outdoor games and sports, many are social activities. There is a large number of homeless youth, street-connected kids, that interact with each other. Though not technically legal, there are many children working at young ages, in places where other kids will also be working.
PARENTS
There is little data available on where parents in Brazil talk about their kids or look for information. I attempted to find top parenting sites in Brazil using a number of website tracking sites, but they either did not have a parenting category or a way to search by both category and country without a paid subscription.
When it comes to the parent and family topic in Brazil, 64% of users prefer to use mobile over desktop. Discas de Mulher is the most popular website in Brazil in the category of women's interests, and it includes a section on parenting. The 2nd most popular website has an even larger focus on parenting, which is De Mãe para Mãe.
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Overall, Brazilian youth enjoy playing a number of games and sports, though the internet and video games are becoming more and more popular. Currently, most kids use the internet for school research or social networking. Cartoon sites tend to be popular, with US cartoons. Though tone is not specifically addressed, children may interact with each other through play, homelessness, or work.
Thank you for asking Wonder! Please let us know if we can help you with anything else!