Teen magazines are basically dead – are kids’ magazines next?
8.9.2026
Translation: Katherine Martin
Parents enjoy seeing their children flipping through real, printed magazines. The fondness for that sight is keeping the industry alive – for now. But with every passing year, life is getting increasingly tough for children’s magazines.
I think the latest issue of «Spick» magazine might as well be a doormat. Although it’s been plonked right in front of my kids’ bedroom for days on end, they’ve been dutifully ignoring it. I never would’ve done that as child. A new magazine? That would’ve been something to celebrate. Something captivating, thrilling and eagerly anticipated. As far as I can tell, those days are over.
So I was surprised when I recently read about a «new technology magazine for kids». Makey & Friends aims to introduce children aged five to ten to tinkering with tech. On the cover, what looks to be a male robot is high-fiving a female-looking robot. At first glance, I wouldn’t be able to tell you if it was from 2026 or 1996. Which is intentional; illustrator Sandra Schörnig hand-drew the logo, characters and content.
Source: Heise Medien GmbH
Makey & Friends is a classic mix of comics, craft projects, puzzles and educational content designed to appeal to primary school-aged children. Naturally, it comes with a free collectible figurine too. «The children’s magazine market is strong and stable in terms of revenue; physical products for children of this age are in higher demand than digital ones,» explains Daniel Rohlfing, who came up with the idea for the magazine, in the press release (in German). A pilot issue is set to demonstrate how well the concept will go down with kids. Although, if it’s going to succeed, it’ll have to win the hearts of parents as well as children.
Parents will be the main sales drivers for years to come
Magazines are no longer the sort of products that children buy with their own pocket money. A glimpse at the prices tells you as much: a 10-franc allowance would be gobbled up by a magazine in a flash. Makey & Friends, for example, is expected to cost 6.99 euros in Germany, 7.70 euros in Austria and 12.90 francs in Switzerland. Too pricey for children aged five to ten, who’ve been spending less and less on magazines since the 2010s.
Parents and grandparents, on the other hand, are willing to dig deep into their wallets for letters and images printed onto paper. According to the «Kinder Medien Monitor» (Children’s Media Monitor), they see print magazines as easy to understand, educational and child-friendly (page in German).
While Granny might give her grandkids a «Spick» subscription for Christmas, Dad might be more amenable to buying a magazine at the till than a chocolate bar. For a few more years, things will continue that way. The industry will survive as long as adults value reading. Mind you, even today, they often fall for misleadingly packaged magazines.
It’s more about the freebies than the stories
Is it really the jokes page or the fun facts that draw children towards a particular magazine? Judging by the look of a typical magazine rack, that seems unlikely. Kids’ magazines tend to stand out amongst the car magazines and gossip mags because they barely fit on the shelf these days. Double wrapped and stuffed with inserts, the magazines typically contain a Lego minifigure, jewellery or trading cards that the publisher has felt compelled to throw in as the ultimate incentive.
Source: Shutterstock/HelgaQ
Gimmicks have always been a selling point, at least in the years since Yps emerged. Back in the day, we’d devour every page. The magazine itself was a thing to be appreciated, and sparked a love of reading in its audience. These days, it’s become a mere pretext for buying a toy. Not a pleasant trend, but it’s irreversible. Any magazine that fails to prioritise building a subscription base or offering an enticing all-in-one package will get lost on shelves dominated by big-name publications.
Magazines: an appendage to an empire
Today, Disney’s «Lustiges Taschenbuch» is the only brand big enough still to be a surefire hit with young readers. However, it’s also part of an empire it can’t escape from. Disney characters are everywhere – on TV, online, on T-shirts, mugs and, of course, prominently featured in comics.
Source: Shutterstock/VGV MEDIA
It’s the same story with Ninjago, Pokémon and Paw Patrol. Magazines like these simply represent one more way to introduce children to franchises. While magazines do round out a brand’s product range, they’re rarely ever its crowning glory.
The second way involves making use of parents’ trust, with publishers creating children’s spin-offs of established brands. Readers of Geo, for instance, will buy their little ones Geolino.
New magazines like Makey & Friends are carving out a modest niche for themselves – and hoping for the best. That might help ensure a certain print run. It’s just that when parents and teachers hand children reading material, an encouraging smile on their face, it rarely holds the kids’ interest for long.
Children’s reading frequency often dips around the age of ten (article in German). Boys, in particular, are ditching print media in droves. According to the 2025 «Kinder Medien Monitor», besides two clearly positioned magazines, «Mädchen» and «Popcorn», no other magazine targeted at this age group has a significant reach. Even these two have lost around 90 per cent of their circulation in recent decades.
A lack of readers as role models
As much as we might lament this development, we have to take a good look at ourselves in the mirror too. In many places, newspapers, magazines and books have disappeared from everyday family life. Most children see their parents looking at a screen often, but rarely spot them with their noses in a book. Plus, if you’re reading something on a screen, you could technically be doing anything.
The amount of time adults spend reading print media each day is declining, all while time spent online has more than tripled (linked articles in German). With this in mind, what kid would then want to be told to read a magazine after they’re done with their school textbooks? If reading is seen as a chore, it won’t be good for magazines in the long run.
By the age of 12, almost every child has a smartphone in their pocket. According to the JAMES Study, 96 per cent of Swiss teenagers in this age group own one. So teen magazines are effectively dead. With children entering the digital world earlier and earlier in life, an increasing number of magazines aimed at younger readers are coming under pressure.
The sad but true reality? It’d take an iPhone as a freebie to get kids to grab these magazines off the shelves.
Header image: Michael Restin
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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