Beano Brain research reveals UK's Coolest Brands for 2026

Social media brands are continuing to play a key role in children's lives despite increasing debate around restricting under-16s' access to online platforms, according to new research from Beano Brain.

The annual Coolest Brands 2026 report, based on responses from 10,000 children aged 7-14 across the UK, has named YouTube the UK's coolest brand for the third-year running. TikTok also remains one of the most influential brands among young people, ranking ninth overall.

The findings come in a year when social media has been at the centre of public debate, with the UK government announcing plans to introduce restrictions on under-16s' access to social media platforms. Yet the brands most closely associated with those discussions have continued to rank highly by children.

Gaming, Tech and Social is one of the largest sectors in this year's Coolest Brands ranking, showing the role online platforms continue to play in how young people are entertained, discover new interests and connect with wider culture.

YouTube held onto the top spot thanks to its position as children's go-to destination for everything from creator content and gaming clips to longer-form entertainment. TikTok's continued popularity highlights the influence it still has on trends, humour and playground conversations, whether children are actively using the platform or encountering its content elsewhere.

The rankings also reveal a generation balancing digital and physical worlds. Alongside YouTube and TikTok, brands such as LEGO, Pokémon and Smyths Toys climbed the rankings as children continue to embrace collecting, creativity and offline play. ChatGPT has also entered the rankings for the first time, showing just how quickly AI has moved from an emerging technology to a familiar part of young people's lives.

Helenor Gilmour, Head of Beano Brain said: "There is an interesting tension in this year’s rankings. The conversation around children and social media gets more urgent, yet YouTube is their coolest brand for the third-year running, and it occupies a broad space in kids’ lives, spanning entertainment, gaming, creators and interests they want to explore. If we want to understand Gen Alpha’s lives properly, we need to listen to what they value as well as what worries adults.”