With news that Amazon and Netflix are launching new children's shows, a new battle is shaping up among media and technology companies to find their own slot in the increasingly media-saturated lives of preteens, many of whom are now using smartphones and tablets to access videos.

In the past, embarrassing incidents or misjudged comments faded away with time. Today, thanks to digital platforms, they can be immortalised online and carry devastating repercussions. Should today's children have to suffer the consequences of the slip-ups of their youth?

At age 3, around a quarter of children go online daily, increasing to about 50% by age 5. And if the internet really is as “dangerous as letting children go out into the street”, is child-friendly software and brightly-coloured ‘kid versions’ enough to keep Gen Z surfers safe and happy?

With on-demand services thriving and viewer numbers falling, is the golden age of TV over? Canvas8 spoke with Alan Wolk, author ofOver the top: How the internet is slowly (but surely) changing the television industry, about how TV will adapt and whether the traditional ad model will survive.