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Research with children, teens and families

Can you test a children's TV show or app with children before it launches?

By Matthew Warneford, CEO

Published 16 September 2026 · Figures as of February 2025

Yes. Dubit tests children's TV shows, apps, games and toys with children in its own PlayLab. We tested one television pilot there with children aged 5 to 8 and their parents. The tests were there to measure their reaction to the pilot and to support the pitch to TV channels and streaming services.

The lab tests app genres, games, new technology and toys. It is purpose-built and portable. The app genres are video, entertainment, education and creativity. Games go through it on mobile, on smart TV and on PC or laptop. It also tests new technology, including VR, AR, AI voice controls and digital toys, and toys themselves, including tech-integrated ones. Clients watch the sessions from anywhere by live remote stream.

We benchmark a show against a library of competitor programming. Characters and storylines go through the same comparison. Dubit built its Engagement Scale Software for content testing, and for benchmarking new intellectual property and new episodes.

Investors are an audience for the results too. The pilot tests were also there to reassure investors that their production money had been well spent.

We also test products we have built ourselves. One product we designed and built ourselves was tested with over 40 preschool children and their parents during development and before it launched.

Children of all ages come to the PlayLab every week. They try out new games and apps there. We play-test and content-test children's games, apps, products and shows.

Sessions can run online instead, with children as avatars in a virtual room. Dubit built Clickroom for focus groups and depth interviews in an interactive virtual environment. Participants watch video, review stimulus such as character images or pictures, or answer the moderator's questions. That produces better-quality conversations, with no one talking over each other.

This page also answers

  • What happens in Dubit's PlayLab?
  • Can I watch a children's research session remotely?
  • How do you test a TV pilot with children?
Matthew Warneford

CEO

Matthew Warneford is CEO and co-founder of Dubit. The studio builds immersive experiences for brands including Disney, Samsung, and the Grammy Awards, with work recognised by the 4A’s Jay Chiat Awards and the Shorty Awards. In 2025 he advised policymakers at the House of Lords on gaming as economic infrastructure.

Have a show, an app or a toy to put in front of children before it launches?