Edutainment in Action: How Online Videos Are Powering Student Learning

Learning today doesn’t just happen in classrooms. It also streams through screens, often in the form of engaging, educational content. As families turn to digital platforms for academic help, a new era of “edutainment” is transforming how kids study, stay curious, and connect with school subjects.

To better understand this shift, we surveyed more than 1,000 parents and K–12 teachers not affiliated with K12. What we discovered sheds light on how creator-made content is being used to support learning, particularly as students engage with educational videos both in and outside of school. Key findings from our survey include:

• Students spend 260 hours a year watching educational content on YouTube or other online platforms.
• 73% of parents said their children watch educational videos on YouTube.
• More than one in three parents (37%) reported that their child wants to become an educational YouTuber or TikToker someday.
• 89% of parents said their child’s grades improved thanks to online educational videos.
• About two-thirds of teachers (65%) have incorporated creator-made content, such as YouTube or TikTok videos, into their lessons.
• Over a third of teachers (37%) said they’ve felt pressure to adapt their teaching style to resemble that of a video creator in order to keep students engaged.

Read the full article on the K12 Blog.