Generation Z has grown up with a smartphone in one hand and an iPad in the other. So how come a craze for weaving plastic bands has taken playgrounds by storm? Where yo-yos and football stickers have gone before, loom bands are the kids’ craze of 2014. What exactly makes a Gen Z craze?

Did YouTube kill the Hollywood star? In the second installment of this two-parter, we look at why Gen Z value the talents and opinions of their digital peers, what services they are flocking to and how a shift towards user generated content will affect the future of media production and distribution.

There is a big gender imbalance in the tech industry; women make up just 26% of the computing workforce. Jewelbots wants to change this dynamic with programmable bracelets that make coding accessible for Gen Z girls. Can smart jewellery get girls interested in science and technology?

Cheerios is wading deeper into girl power territory with its latest Canadian campaign. The breakfast cereal brand is encouraging people to co-sign its petition to put an end to ‘dietainment’; weight loss messaging dressed up as fun that could potentially mess up young, media-hungry girls.

From Avon ladies to Tupperware parties to Ann Summers soirees, peer-to-peer selling is an established business model for companies, with most aimed squarely at middle-aged women. But now Willa is hoping that Gen Zers can revive its brand by selling lip shimmer and face wash to their pals.

Tampon subscription service HelloFlo has won millions of fans by rejecting euphemism in favour of hilarious honesty. But what does its humorous take on being a 12-year-old girl tell us about what we really want from our most intimate brands? How honest is too honest?

To see into the future of media, take a look at a 12-year-old’s iPad. Gen Z spend 35 hours a week consuming media. In the first of a two-part report, we look at why Gen Z are choosing tablets over TVs, why streaming services are king, and how this generation's behaviour will shape entertainment’s future.

Has social media killed the art of conversation for teens? Not according to author, social media expert and youth researcher danah boyd - who says it's "nothing more than a release valve to changes that have happened in the real world." We caught up with her to learn more.