Tweens: Hobbies and Play

Tweens might be raised on YouTube, gaming, and a culture that makes it seem they’re growing up faster than ever, but 8-12-year-olds are still kids, and their time is still filled with play. In fact, 90% have a hobby, and 87% play with toys and games in some capacity. They’re juggling packed schedules, deep friendships, and a growing list of passions, all while carving out time to just be kids.

In YPulse’s Tweens: Hobbies and Play report, we answer the question every brand marketing to this age group is asking: what do tweens today really do for fun? We explore how this generation spends their free time, from the friendships that shape their hobbies to the toys and games they still can’t put down.

This report dives into:

• How tweens spend time with friends, and how their friendships and hobbies feed off each other
• Which hobbies and toys top their lists, and how boys’ and girls’ interests diverge and overlap
• Why tweens are still playing with toys well into their tween years, and what’s driving today’s biggest toy crazes