Tween: Tech and Social Media

Tweens today have had tablets and smartphones in their hands since they were babies. And now, of course, they’re doing much more than watching videos on their parents’ devices to stay entertained. They have their own mobile devices, computers, gaming consoles, and more—and with their influence on parents, it’s exactly the ones they want. These screens are the center of their worlds in many ways. Learning apps are used in classrooms, gaming purchases are made with a tap, the brands they’re into come from the influencers on their endless video feeds, and much more all happen across social media, gaming platforms, and shopping apps. However, all this access to tech doesn’t come without its share of contention. Parents are setting limits on content and screen time, trying to navigate their kids’ use of of social media, and now AI tools. But banning socials or reserving a smartphone for high school aren’t the solutions to most parents—and the reality is that most tweens are already on smartphones and social media.

YPulse’s Tweens: Tech and Social Media report gives brands, marketers, and researchers a data-driven look at how today’s tweens are navigating the digital world — and what it means for anyone trying to reach them.