The hottest new hangout for middle schoolers is NPR’s comment section?

NPR staff noticed odd comments appearing under its podcasts on Spotify and initially suspected bot activity. A Gen Z colleague quickly identified the posts as coming from middle schoolers using the comment section as a casual online hangout.

The episode highlights how young users can repurpose overlooked platform features into social spaces, even in places designed for audio engagement. It also suggests publishers and platforms may need to monitor unexpected communities forming around media products in ways that traditional audience analytics miss.