MAM
News apps see explosive growth in 2020: Marked rise in news consumption signals new trend during the global pandemic
In the first half of 2020, consumers have relied on news organizations more than ever to keep them informed about the rapidly evolving situation around COVID-19. New data from app marketing platform Adjust shows consumers are increasingly turning to their phones to consume news, suggesting that their favorite media apps may get a long-term boost in attention.
The data shows that daily installs of News apps grew by 37% between January and April 2020. Installs peaked in March, before returning to near pre-COVID levels in May. Daily sessions also saw a huge rise, increasing 59% between January and April.
While sessions peaked in April, they decreased by just 13% the following month — and sessions are still trending far higher than in 2019, or at the start of 2020. This signals a shift in how users consume media, with more people turning to the convenience of News apps compared to traditional channels.
"Consumers have relied more heavily on news organizations during this period of uncertainty, highlighting the media’s essential role in keeping populations informed as the global pandemic has unfolded,” said Paul H. Müller, co-founder and CTO of Adjust. “Our data suggests mobile apps have become a major channel for this increase in news consumption, which could change the way people interact with news organizations more broadly over the long-term.”
The data also sheds light on regional trends, as countries around the world grappled with lockdown measures and ever-changing regulations:
- The United States saw one of the most dramatic spikes in use: daily installs increased 53%, while daily sessions soared 104% between January and April. But daily sessions only saw an 8% decrease between April and May, suggesting many users have stayed the course.
- In EMEA, daily sessions grew by 69% from January to April 2020 — peaking in March, in line with when lockdown measures came into place across much of the region. Germany and France in particular saw huge spikes in daily sessions, increasing by 75% and 71% respectively.
- In Asia, Japan’s rates followed a similar pattern to the rest of the world, with installs and sessions increasing 23% and 44%, respectively, between January and April, and sessions decreasing 11% between April and May
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MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
