Dr Barbie and IKEA’s Magnus Thuvesson spoke at the MRS Kids and Youth Insights Conference 2020

Barbie and Magnus spoke about findings from the IKEA Kids Advisory Panel at the MRS Conference today.

For the last 2 years we have run a panel with children in China, Germany and the UK. Using an app, children respond with pictures and film in response to our monthly tasks. Through this we have asked kids to design lighting (presented to the Kids’ Conference in 2018), beds, desks, storage solutions, all of which have made their way onto the IKEA shop floor.

But we have also asked about lifestyle, including eating, exercise and wellbeing. The results are fascinating. Children in China often live in high-rise flats, many in single-child households. In the UK, the urban kids on our panel have similar restrictions, although more siblings. In Germany they have space to roam and be free. And yet despite diverse lifestyles many have the same wishes and dreams. They want to eat ‘clean’; they want to save the planet; they care about animal welfare; they know that exercise is good for their wellbeing. With childhood obesity taskforces launched or soon to be launched in London, Amsterdam, Munich and Shanghai, the findings give an insightful picture of children’s lives.

This presentation gave a snapshot of how the IKEA children’s panel aged 8-14 live, eat and enjoy life in China, Germany and the UK and the impact this has on IKEA’s planning.