Turning eco-anxiety into empowerment with ‘The Secret Lives of 5 Year Olds: The Next Generation’

When creativity meets impact and passion meets purpose, the effects can be powerful.

That’s why we’re proud to share the results of our E.ON Next team’s ground-breaking and award-winning collaboration with Channel 4 - ‘The Secret Lives of 5 Year Olds: The Next Generation’.

Tackling eco-anxiety through entertainment

We all know that the climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing the world right now – it affects every single one of us every single day.

But for many, especially young people, it can feel overwhelming – frightening even. Eco-anxiety is on the rise, and the conversation around sustainability is often dominated by fear rather than action. But  E.ON Next and Channel 4 set out to change that.

Together, they reimagined the much-loved ‘Secret Life of 5 Year Olds’ format for a social-first audience. Through a five-part social-first series, ‘The Secret Life of: The Next Generation’ made sustainability feel accessible, achievable – and even fun.

The series aimed to inspire real change, encouraging children and their families to embrace small, everyday actions that collectively make a big difference. Each episode features playful experiments, expert insights and the unfiltered wisdom of children to tackle climate concerns with hope, positivity, and practical solutions.

Results that resonate

Audiences responded in force with some 22 million people tuning in and almost nine in 10 (89%) of children aged 4–11 saying they learnt they could make a difference, and a similar number (88%) committing to using less energy as a result.

And it wasn’t just the kids. Among the adults we asked, eight in 10 (83%) agreed the series could drive societal change and a similar number (85%) said they’d realised that saving energy can be fun.

Julian Lennertz, Chief Commercial Officer at E.ON Next, said: “Purpose is not a slogan. It’s a commitment – and the next generation is watching. We’re proud of the real impact this series has delivered and that millions of people have tuned in to see how, together, families across the UK can take real action to tackle eco-anxiety now and for the benefit of future generations.

“Thank you to everyone who has made this series such a success – the teams across our business, our partners and most of all the children and families who took part.”

‘The Secret Life of Five Year Olds – The Next Generation” has recently won the Best Environmental Cause Award Campaign at the Purpose Awards.

Julian continued: “This isn’t just a trophy – it’s a recognition of the responsibility we carry as a brand to listen, inspire, act and to make new energy work for everyone.”

To find out more about how E.ON Next can help you and your family tackle eco-anxiety in your home, visit eonnext.com.