On average, voters and local leaders show greater concern about plastic and other garbage in the ocean after watching presentations from children, according to a new study. The findings build on previous research that found educating kids about climate change was linked to an increase in concern from parents. The new findings indicate kids can have a broader impact outside of their families. “Our lab has already established that kids can have an impact across the dinner table, and it’s cool to see that they can also have an impact within town halls, too,” says study lead author Jenna Hartley, a PhD student in the parks, recreation, and tourism management department at North Carolina State University. “We also saw that kids could help close partisan gaps in how community members view this issue.”