This repository contains Python scripts that analyse videos for visual data, including motion, colour saturation and cut times. I used it to examine the visual differences between children's TV shows on YouTube (like Cocomelon and Blippi) compared with traditional broadcast television (like In the Night Garden and Bob the Builder).
Read the final piece here: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/youtube-videos-kids-television-xcxkv0cvx
- Selection of video files used in the analysis, as examples
- Scripts to analyse visual elements of the videos
(Not all of these are included in the video file, because of size limits. Not all of the videos I analysed were featured or used in the final article.)
- Blippi (2022)
- Mister Hamster (2022)
- Kitty's Games (2023)
- Toy Pudding (2024)
- Cosmic Kids Yoga (2025)
- Little Baby Bum (2025)
- Cocomelon (2026)
- Jungle Squad (2026)
- Ryan's World (2026)
- Pink Fong (2026)
- Winnie the Pooh (1983)
- Kipper (1997)
- 64 Zoo Lane (2000)
- Teletubbies (2001)
- Peppa Pig (2004)
- Berenstain Bears (2004)
- In the Night Garden (2007)
- Bob the Builder (2010)
- Hey Duggee (2019)
- Included videos were based on the most popular videos as well as YouTube's recommendation algorithm. Analysis only covered a small selection of videos from recent years.
For questions or issues, please contact Matilda Davies at matilda.davies@thetimes.co.uk.
Copy & code: Matilda Davies
Study methodology loosely based on / inspired by the work of Dr. Sam Wass, a developmental cognitive neuroscientist and Director of the Institute for the Science of Early Years and Youth (ISEY) at the University of East London.
Design: Cecilia Tombesi, Dana Chan
Production: Rachel Bayne, Gareth Mytton
Video animation: Darren Burchett, Thomas Kirkby
Picture research: Matt Fearn