William raised the issue of pressure on young people. He is finding that they are more worried and at an earlier age too, borne out by some worrying research that found teenage anxiety to have risen dramatically in the last few years. We could debate the role of parents and the media in all of this, but the reality is clear. Most younger kids don't play outside like they used to, with fear amongst many parents, real or false, about the safety of their kids.
So kids are growing up surrounded by such insecurities at a time when the digital age is upon us. So it s not a surprise that young people have found liberation through laptops and mobiles...
Now the fear from government, media and parents alike is that kids are spending too much time in front of the screens. This was touched upon by a question that was put to Frith Hucks, Global Media Director at Adidas. She was asked whether Adidas as an investor in digital communication fits with Adidas the sports brand that wants people outdoors rather than in front of a computer screen. The response from Frith seemed convincing. Adidas wanted to connect with youth in a critical environment that they trust, then from there encouraging them outside. I would ask whether the encouragement from the brand is to go out to the shop rather than to the sports centre, but either way, a little exercise would occur. The question did highlight an interesting dilemma for Adidas it seems, as there are some within the company who find it difficult to accept that digital media are legitimate ones for a sports brand to invest in.
