Kids join fandoms when they meet core emotional and psychological needs tied to belonging, identity, creativity, or inspiration. But keeping that connection alive is a challenge. As kids grow, those needs evolve. Brands that evolve with them — meeting these new and different needs in fresh ways — earn lasting loyalty.
Not sure why kids join fandoms? Find out.
Compact guide to building fandom
What kids brands need to know (and most don’t)
Scroll through this slideshow for a quick overview on what motivates kids to become fans.
As kids grow, they want to go deeper. That might look like deep diving in lore, collecting all the characters, unlocking hidden levels, or competing at higher and higher levels. Fandoms that make space for progression can be rewarded with prolonged emotional investment.
The Pokémon franchise does this expertly. It offers kids seamless, layered ways to engage, whether it’s memorizing stats, trading cards, battling friends, or completing a Pokédex. As fans gain skill, learn new facts, acquire coveted objects, their emotional investment—and attachment to the brand—expands.
What starts as shared enthusiasm becomes shared identity. It’s a natural progression for kids who find in fandom the friendship and community they crave as they begin to forge an identity separate from family.
This deeper connection is expressed in myriad ways. For example: personalized chants, pre-game team rituals, inside jokes, secret handshakes and hand signs, and coded ways of dressing and speaking. They’re all ways to signal that we are part of something bigger, which is an extremely powerful motivator for people at any age.
Taylor Swift is the ultimate example. Her fans don’t just love the singer’s music. They love being Swifties. Being a Swiftie meaning trading friendship bracelets. Chanting together at four-hour concerts (or the even bigger watch parties that coincide with her sold-out concerts). They decode lyrics, dissect album artwork, and hunt for clues in social media posts. How they emulate her varies, but her celebration of friendship and sisterhood is helping shape how a generation shows up for one another.
Kids want to shape their experiences. They don’t want to be passive users or spectators. Fandoms that invite participation quench their thirst for agency and ultimately benefit from longer-lasting engagement. Platforms like Roblox and subcultures like Furries nail this. Participation is baked-in. The result is that users feel these platforms belong to them, and they make it part of their everyday lives.
A kid who loves your brand at six won’t necessarily love it at eight. And unless your brand adapts, they’ll move on by nine. As kids grow, their emotional, cognitive, and social needs shift. To sustain interest, your fandom strategy has to evolve with them.
Broadly speaking, younger kids are drawn to simple gameplay, bright visuals, and repetition. Tweens want challenge and progression. Teens? They’re after deeper meaning, strong narratives, and social connection. In every age group, fandom fades when brands don’t anticipate developmental progression.
Kids join fandoms to express who they are—and who they want to be. For Gen Alpha, that means purpose-driven brands earn their loyalty, especially when they reflect values like sustainability, fairness, or inclusion. When a fandom shows up with real purpose and authenticity, the kids who see themselves in it tend to stay.
Lasting fandom isn’t built on hype or habit. It’s built on connection that evolves as kids age and develop. Keep meeting their emotional and psychological needs in fresh, authentic ways, to stay a part of their story.
Get in touch if you want our support building fandoms that grow with kids (and grow stronger over time).
Curious about why kids join fandoms? Learn more why kids stay fans.
