Middle schoolers have found an unexpected new social space in the comment sections of NPR podcasts, a trend revealed on the podcast “This American Life” hosted by Ira Glass. Last fall, the team behind NPR’s “Wild Card” podcast noticed unusual comment activity under their episodes on Spotify, initially presumed to be bot-generated by producers. However, a younger NPR audio producer identified the comments as coming from middle school kids using the comments as a form of group chat, in part because these kids are often too young to join mainstream social media platforms.

This phenomenon is not unique to the “Wild Card” podcast. NPR had previously spotted similar activity on the “TED Radio Hour” podcast, suggesting a pattern where young users seek out low-traffic online spaces to interact away from adult supervision. When Ira Glass reached out directly to one of these kids, the simple, candid response was that middle schoolers targeted podcasts with few comments, allowing them to create a semi-private hangout where their conversations could fly under the radar of adults.

Podcast comment sections, typically considered niche and not very social, have hence become a covert gathering spot for a younger generation cautious of conventional social media restrictions imposed by parents. Kids are creatively appropriating these spaces to form communities in an environment designed primarily for adult listeners. This raises questions about how media platforms might need to rethink the role and visibility of their comment sections as social spaces.

For NPR and others in the audio media industry, this trend offers both a surprise and an opportunity to engage younger audiences in new ways. It also points to a broader challenge within digital media: how platforms intended for information sharing and adult dialogue are now being repurposed by younger demographics seeking connection and community outside the usual social networks.