● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportLow impact1 neutral
Middle Schoolers Use NPR Podcast Comment Sections as Social Media Alternative
Key points
- NPR staff noticed unusual comments on their "Wild Card" podcast.
- A Gen Z producer identified the comments as middle schoolers' chat.
- Students chose NPR podcasts due to low existing comment activity.
- This behavior was also observed on TED Radio Hour previously.
Discovery of Unusual Comment Activity
Last fall, the team behind NPR’s podcast “Wild Card” observed a surge of perplexing comments on their Spotify episodes. Initially, a producer suspected these comments, characterized by unusual abbreviations and emojis, were bot traffic and reported them to Spotify.
Identification by Gen Z Colleague
Hannah Chin, an audio producer and Gen Z colleague at NPR, recognized the comments as communications from middle schoolers. These students, too young for mainstream social media, were using the podcast comment sections as a group chat platform, a behavior previously noted on the TED Radio Hour show.
Reason for Choosing NPR
When asked why they chose NPR, one student explained that they specifically looked for podcasts with few existing comments. This strategy allowed them to create a private communication space away from adult oversight.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
The daily brief
One email each morning: the day's tech stories, clustered across outlets and summarized. No account needed.
One email a day. Unsubscribe in one click, any time.
Today's brief
Spend a few minutes, get the whole day. Every topic's top stories in one hands-free rundown — listen, watch, or read the transcript.
▶ Play today's brief
New every morning, and the back catalogue is archived by date.
Reporting from
Middle school students are using the comment sections of NPR podcasts, specifically "Wild Card," as a private chat space to avoid adult supervision on traditional social media platforms. This activity was discovered by NPR staff after noticing unusual comments, which were later identified as communications between young users seeking less-monitored online spaces.