New Sprout Research Survey Shows Parents Struggle With Tech Shaming And Need For Kid-Tech Roadmap

Dot., premiering October 22 at 11 AM ET on Sprout, is an animated series that helps teach digital citizenship and responsible tech usage. The show's title character is an inquisitive, exuberant, tech-savvy eight-year-old girl who embarks on adventures to satisfy her imagination, curiosity and latest passion. Dot uses technology as a way to discover, explore and play, in keeping with the study findings that 62% of parents feel tech enhances their child's development and learning.

Fielded in July 2016, the "Sprout Talks Tech" survey comprised a nationally representative sample of 700 modern families (with children ages two to six) who discussed their personal views and experiences with integrating tech into their families' lives. Top findings include:

• While the survey unveiled a predominant feeling of "tech shaming," with 59% of parents feeling judged by other parents over their kids' screen time, it also identified major upsides to technology.
• Parents found technology increases their child's curiosity about the environment around them (71%) and helps them explore the world by introducing them to new cultures (66%).
• However, 92% of parents say they need information on how to navigate their kids' relationship with tech, and 62% say they've argued with their kids about screen time.

Sprout hopes to bridge that gap with the introduction of Dot. and various other tools for parents:

• "The Do's & Dots" YouTube series will teach kids tech best practices and address parents' pain points on challenges such as sharing devices and giving back devices when their screen time is up.
• Launch of www.SproutTalksTech.com which invites parents to take the survey quiz to see how they compare and to share how they are navigating the new tech reality.
• Custom Dot. digital content on the Sprout Playground app including exclusive clips and tech resources for families

"Technology is woven into the fabric of our viewers' everyday lives and through Dot., we saw an opportunity to model how it can be used as a valuable tool for parents and kids," says Jennifer Giddens, SVP Marketing & Digital at Sprout. "We spoke to parents across the country to determine how we could serve as a resource and provide support for families to embrace, adapt and responsibly use technology. What we learned through this research is that parents are craving a roadmap, which we hope to provide through our marketing outreach and with the launch of Dot."

"I created Dot. to be a relatable character that helps educate parents and kids about the importance of balance when it comes to tech, and to empower girls to be vocal and involved in technology," says Randi Zuckerberg, executive producer and creator of Dot. "Listening to parents speak on the lack of a roadmap on kids and tech use, it's evident that this is the perfect time to bring Dot. to life on television and help spark the discussion."

This is the first animated show for the New York Times best-selling author and Zuckerberg Media founder and CEO Randi Zuckerberg, who serves as executive producer along with Matthew Fernandes and Tammy Semen of Industrial Brothers and Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford of The Jim Henson Company. Dot. was born from Zuckerberg's passion of motivating and inspiring young girls to develop an early love and appreciation for technology, math and sciences. The series is produced by Industrial Brothers ("Yup Yups," "Gummandos") in association with The Jim Henson Company ("Pajanimals," "Dinosaur Train") and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Jim Henson Company handles all media rights for Dot. outside of Canada and all consumer products rights for the property worldwide.

To watch an episode of Dot., click here (password: sproutdot).

To learn more about Dot., please visit www.sproutonline.com and www.sprouttalkstech.com.

About Sprout
Sprout is the 24-hour preschool TV network where kids are Free To Grow™. Through engaging, original content and entertaining characters, Sprout encourages kids to develop into good people with curious minds, compassionate hearts, and courageous spirits. Sprout's original programming includes series such as "Terrific Trucks," "Nina's World," "Floogals," "Ruff-Ruff, Tweet & Dave" and the only LIVE morning show for preschoolers, "Sunny Side Up," which broadcasts live from NBCU Studios in Rockefeller Plaza. Sprout, which launched in 2005, is a network of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. Now in over 59 million US homes, Sprout is available for kids and their families across all platforms including on-air, online at SproutOnline.com, On Demand, and via mobile with the Sprout Now and Sprout Playground apps.

About Randi Zuckerberg: 
Randi Zuckerberg is a New York Times bestselling author; the founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media; host of "Dot Complicated" on SiriusXM, and Editor-in- Chief of DotComplicated.co, an online community helping us navigate and "untangle" our wired, wonderful lives. Randi also served as mentor on Oxygen's show "Quit Your Day Job," as well as executive producer of "Dot.," based on Randi's recent children's book, premiering on CBC and Sprout October 22, 2016. 

Randi appears regularly on NBC the TODAY show and CNBC, and has also been seen on CNN, Good Morning America, Fox Business, Bloomberg News, and ABC's World News.  She is a Tony Voter and was also a correspondent for the 2016 Tony Awards and the World Economic Forum in Davos. Randi was recently appointed as a Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum and is part of the Tech Committee for the American Theatre Wing.

About Industrial Brothers
Industrial Brothers is a company that is focused on creating engaging content with memorable characters that tell unique stories for kids of all ages. Based in Toronto the company works closely with broadcast, production and distribution partners to develop high quality shows such as the award winning preschool series Yup Yups (Disney Jr.) and the YouTube exclusive boys action series Gummandos.
http://www.industrialbrothers.com
http://www.facebook.com/industrialbrothers

About The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for 60 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include the Emmy®-nominated Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train, and Pajanimals, as well as the CG-animated preschool series Doozers, the Netflix original series for young preschoolers Word Party and the upcoming digital citizenship series for preschoolers Dot. Top titles currently in production include the groundbreaking marine biology series Splash and Bubbles for PBS KIDS® and the Netflix original preschool show Julie's Greenroom, starring award-winning actress Julie Andrews. Features include Disney's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, as well as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and MirrorMask. Television productions include Fraggle Rock, the sci-fi cult series Farscape, Henson Alternative's No, You Shut Up! and the TV film Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow.

With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. The Company is home to Jim Henson's Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character- building and visual effects group with international film, television, theme park and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry's top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of- the-art and vintage equipment. The Company's Henson Alternative brand is currently touring Puppet-Up! – Uncensored, a live puppet improvisational show.
http://www.henson.com
http://www.facebook.com/hensoncompany

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SOURCE Sprout

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