How it all began

I started writing stories for my son back during the lockdown. As my friends' kids started reading them too, I wanted to find the best way to share my stories with minimal friction for parents and kids. So I ran a survey.

I thought I'd get a simple answer that would allow me to set up a website or newsletter. But it wasn't that simple. Even a small survey revealed a lot of opinions.

I heard parents pushing back against screen time even before the dominance of short-form content

"Already too much screen time… they move from one site to another. "

"I don’t like digital platforms… trying to minimise devices."

I also heard the need for Indian context

“Stories rooted in Indian background rather than western ones.”

“Mythological stories with some modern touch.”

"Moral stories relevant to the present day and age, manners and such topics, in addition to anything that’d provide good exposure about the world around too"

Parents wanted content that triggers thinking and creativity

"Mind stimulating content is missing."

"Content that helps children bring out their creative side."

"Make them smart"

But then, there was an even split when it came to content delivery

"It would be simple audio capsules link pushed via WhatsApp (post subscription). Like Daily dose."

"I don't like digital platforms"

I have worked in data and product management for most of my career. Parents’ pain points and preferences were clear. But a coherent solution eluded me. So, I did what any data and product person would do.

I ran a series of micro experiments over the next five years.

Before I get deeper into the details of my experiments, though, I'd love to know - do you remember participating in the survey? And do you have any "hot takes" to share about Indian children’s media or content now? 😃