The first generation to watch YouTube as kids is growing up—and their media preferences have been forever changed by the platform…
Over six in ten 13-18-year-olds tell us that they don’t remember the first time they watched a YouTube video—they were too young. Gen Z has been watching YouTube all their life, the first generation to grow up on the platform. The majority are watching it multiple times a day, exposing them to an intensely different array of entertainment than any older consumer, including Millennials, and it’s changed what they want and expect out of entertainment.
YPulse explored how these young consumers’ lifelong exposure to the platform has changed their media preferences and behaviors in our recent trend, Growing Up YouTube. We found that these younger consumers are far more likely to be engaging with content on the platform, binging videos there, and talking about YouTube content with friends.But it’s not just how they behave on YouTube that’s different. We also found that young consumers who grew up watching their favorite content on the site—the majority of Gen Z—are far more likely to watch their favorite content their now, showing how their entertainment preferences and behavior have been forever changed.
And the next generation of YouTube Kids is being raised now. According to Millennial parents, the majority of their kids are watching YouTube daily. With kids’ content on the platform notoriously un-regulated, they’re accessing some seriously weird content—which will undoubtedly impact their entertainment preferences for life.
Download the full Growing Up YouTube report to learn more, and check out an infographic spotlight on the trend here:
