Nearly half (43%) of children claim that climate change is the biggest issue the world is facing right now, research by Sky Kids reveals

Wednesday 2 November 2022

  • Only 10% of children think the government are doing enough to combat climate change
  • 63% are hopeful that it’s not too late to save the planet, with a whopping 81% of kids wanting to be taught more on the topic at school
  • Sky Kids has announced three new originals shows; Obki S2, COP27: Six Ways to Save Our Planet and a special edition of the weekly news show for young people FYI: The Climate Crisis, to help educate and empower the next generation

To help kids get clued up on COP27 ahead of this year’s UN Climate Change Conference, Sky Kids’ weekly news show will see young presenters reveal research on how children feel about the crisis and top tips on how they can protect the planet in a one-off FYI: The Climate Crisis (5 November).

The brand-new study of 2,000 children aged 7-14 commissioned by Sky Kids for its weekly news show FYI uncovered that half (50%) of kids are frightened by climate change, with 43% claiming that this is the biggest issue the world is facing right now.

When it comes to learning about the planet, for over half (53%) school is the top source for information, with very few children (8%) turning to friends and family for facts. Only 10% of children think the government are doing enough to combat climate change and over three quarters (81%) are eager for schools to teach them more on the topic.

But it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to the next generation, with a hopeful 63% saying it’s not too late to save the planet and a third (33%) unveiling that they are inspired to take action. Of those surveyed, 82% are turning off lights to save electricity and 62% are opting to cycle or walk to school to reduce their carbon footprint.

Further Sky Kids originals announced today

Also set to launch on demand on Sky Kids this month is COP27: Six Ways To Save Our Planet (age 5+, 7 November), which follows on from the award-winning documentary ‘COP26 In Your Hands’. Viewers will be taken on an eye-opening journey across six continents including Europe, Africa, and South America, as Aneeshwar Kunchala (Britain’s Got Talent), described by the judges as a young David Attenborough, and his friends from across the world show the innovative things being done to help fight the climate crisis where they live. From mega-farms to floating cities, our young explorers will show the radical ideas that offer hope for the survival of humanity.

And that’s not all, the loveable eco-alien is back on screens in a brand-new series of Obki S2 (age 5+, 4 November). Kids and families alike can expect to join in on amazing adventures with Obki and his friend the Orb, as they travel across the Earth on their eco-missions. From understanding how to save the coral reefs, to making everyday products out of bamboo, Obki and the Orb will show earthlings how to help save the planet one step at a time.

Lucy Murphy, Director of Kids Content at Sky, said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer original content that introduces and explains a really important issue in an engaging and easily digestible format for our younger viewers.Most importantly, these shows give kids who are scared of climate change headlines they read inspiring and positive choices which help protect the world we live in.”

The Obki series is a continued collaboration with Sky Zero - Sky’s campaign to be net zero carbon by 2030 and commitment to encourage its customers to #GoZero, by using its content and channels to raise awareness of the climate crisis and inspire viewers with actions they can take to protect the planet.To find out more about Sky's commitment to go net zero carbon by 2030 head to https://www.skyzero.sky/kids

For more information contact:

Eve Williams, PR Manager: eve.williams@sky.uk

Notes to Editors

• Obki S2 (15x2”) produced by Obki Productions, the Commissioning Editor at Sky Kids is Ian France. Stills can be found on SEAC and screeners on Sky Media Village.

• COP27: Six Ways To Save Our Planet (1x28”) produced by Fresh Start Media, the Commissioning Editor at Sky Kids is Ian France

About Sky Kids

  • Sky Kids is the home of award-winning original and exclusive shows and games, including The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, Moominvalley and Pip and Posy. The platform offers families eight dedicated kids’ channels, with favourite shows like PAW Patrol, Scooby Doo and Teen Titans Go!, as well as over 10,000 episodes of kids’ content on demand.  
  • Sky Kids content aims to entertain, educate, and inspire children aged 1-10 and is available to watch on Sky Q, the Sky Kids app, Sky Glass, Sky Go and streaming service NOW.
  • Sky offers safe, child-friendly environments for kids to watch their favourite shows and play games. Through the Sky Kids app, parents can create personalised age profiles for their children, alongside a ‘sleep mode’ to moderate screen time.
  • Sky customers can access the Sky Kids package for an extra £6 a month, available for Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream. Sky Kids content is available for NOW customers with the entertainment membership (£9.99 a month)

About Sky

Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. Across six countries, Sky connects 23 million customers to the best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own award-winning original content. 

Following the launch of Sky Glass, we now offer customers our strongest ever line-up of products and services. As well as the new streaming TV with Sky inside and everything integrated, customers can enjoy the award-winning Sky Q with all your favourite channels and apps in one place, and with Sky Go you can now access an even better experience on your devices. Sky TV has new channels, new shows and new deals with Peacock, Paramount+ and more. Sky Mobile was voted Best Pay Monthly and Best Value Pay Monthly network by Uswitch, and with Sky Broadband we’re offering our fastest speeds yet.

Building on the success of Sky Originals like Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Brassic, we are doubling our investment in original content by 2024 through Sky Studios. Our new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, is expected to create over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK over the first five years alone. Sky News provides impartial and trustworthy journalism for free, Sky Arts is the UK’s only dedicated free-to-air arts channel making the arts accessible for everyone and Sky Sports, our leading sports broadcasting service, brings customers some of the biggest and best global sporting events from the Premier League to Formula 1 and everything in-between. Sky Cinema is the home of Sky Original films with brand new films launching every month alongside an unrivalled range of the latest cinema releases and on demand library.

We believe that we can be a force for good in the communities in which we operate. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 and we’re proud to be a Principal Partner and Media Partner of COP26 – the UN Climate Change Conference. We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion: we’ve been recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity, and we’ve set ambitious 2025 targets to continue to increase diversity and representation.  We’re also committed to investing £30million across our markets over the next three years to improve our approach to diversity and inclusion, and to tackle racial injustice.