E.ON Next and Channel 4 launch ‘The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds’ with focus on tackling eco-anxiety

The series will explore the awareness of climate concerns and eco-anxiety within the next generation and how to explore these themes to drive real societal change in the future. The series will help empower children to build energy saving habits and recognise the power they have in doing so.

As part of Channel 4’s Fast Forward strategy to create the best solutions for brands, the new content will be available on its YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok channels, enabling viewers to discover broadcast quality beyond traditional TV at anytime, anywhere, and on any platform.

The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds, which was concepted by Mindshare and produced by DSP, part of Banijay UK, provides viewers insight into the behaviours and interactions of a new generation of early years children. Observing them as they navigate the world around them, the show will capture the social interactions of the group who are all learning how to relate to each other, and touch on the topics that will be relevant to them as they grow up such as sustainability. 

While the five-year-olds take part in numerous tasks and games around these themes they will be under the watchful eye of highly trained early years professionals with Professor Paul Howard-Jones (Educational Neuroscientist, Bristol University) and Dr Laverne Antrobus (Paediatric consultant educational psychologist, Tavistock and Portman NHS trust) returning to share their insightful observations from this pivotal stage of childhood.

Patricia Synephias, Head of Brand and Marketing at E.ON Next, said: “In the UK, more than a fifth of carbon emissions comes from our homes, and as a playmaker that’s leading the transition to a better energy future, we believe E.ON Next has a real responsibility to help educate and inspire the next generation that using less energy is one of our greatest powers against eco-anxiety. It’s been a pleasure to be part of this exciting new series, helping us to get this important and serious message across through a bold, fun and progressive platform."

Joe Churchill, Digital Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 says: “We are thrilled to be partnering with DSP to bring back such a well-loved, joyful and insightful series for a social-first audience. Channel 4 is the most viewed branded entertainment publisher in the UK, and Secret Life is a brilliant, modular format. By re-launching it on social we’re aiming to connect the next generation of 5 year olds with the next generation of social-first audiences.”

^{This partnership with E.ON Next was brokered by Channel 4 Sales alongside agency Mindshare and builds on Channel 4’s pioneering partnership with YouTube established in 2022 which was the first of its kind in the UK.  As well as the strong slate of branded entertainment already announced this year which includes the mockumentary with Philips OneBlade, Underground: Shave Club and Celebrity Send Off in partnership with Co-op Funeralcare.}