GET THE NEWSFEED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX →

The Newsfeed

Everything you need to know about youth starts here.

We curate the Gen Z news for you every weekday.

Gen Z and Millennial singles are fine with dates no one pays for.

Sep 17 2026

Gen Z and Millennial singles are fine with dates no one pays for. It’s no secret these gens are burnt out on swiping dating apps, but the financial burden of going on dates is getting to them too. Research conducted by the app Hily found that more than one third of Gen Z daters and two in five Millennial daters have suggested a free event as a date idea. Instead of their date paying for a pricey dinner or concert ticket to impress them, nearly half of Gen Z and over half of Millennial daters say they’d go to a free or promotional event for a date. Earlier this year, the BMO Real Financial Progress Index also reported the cost of dating is soaring even more than the cost of living—47% of singles feel that going out for a date night is no longer financially worth it. However, the Hily research found young daters were motivated to suggest free dates because they wanted to go to the event anyway, not just because they want to save money. (Fast Company, Hily)

👀 Read more from YPulse: Are Gen Z Adults Surviving, Thriving, or Drowning Financially

Prime Video is coming for TikTok with its latest update: short-form news clips.

Sep 17 2026

Prime Video is coming for TikTok with its latest update: short-form news clips. Joining Prime’s existing news coverage, the new bite-sized videos will pull from multiple “trusted news sources,” cover national and local stories, and be organized into curated playlists. They will be accessible on TVs and other living room devices (with the feature coming soon to Prime Video’s website and mobile app). Amazon, who doesn’t have a social destination of its own, is hoping that by adding short-form clips to Prime Video, they can capture Gen Z’s attention. And it’s not completely baseless: YPulse’s News Consumption and Trust data shows 59% of 13-24-year-olds use social media to get news and up-to-date information. The move is part of a larger streaming shift toward more short-form content, as Peacock, HBO, and Disney+ have added similar video content to their platforms, too—which is exactly what YPulse predicted! (TechCrunch, Tubefilter)

🔮 YPulse predicted: Everything will be social media

TikTok is spotlighting Hispanic and Latino creators for Hispanic Heritage Month, running now through mid-October.

Sep 17 2026

TikTok is spotlighting Hispanic and Latino creators for Hispanic Heritage Month, running now through mid-October. The platform’s showcase features journalist Fernando Hurtado, musician Jasmine Wesley, and comedian Eric Sedeño. TikTok frames the effort as honoring “creators, families, and communities who celebrate and share Hispanic and Latino heritage on TikTok through storytelling, tradition, language, and lived experiences.” TikTok’s also running themed in-app activations and a related contest, encouraging users to participate directly rather than just consume the content passively. (Social Media Today)

👀 Read more from YPulse: 3 Things You Should Know About Young Hispanic Consumers

In other news…

Sep 16 2026
  • The head of Insta says without the algo we’d see…more brand content?
  • Gen Z and Millennial parents’ wish has come true: their kids’ music requests will finally be excluded from their Spotify recs and Wrapped
  • Yahoo asked 50 5-14-year-olds what they want to be when they grow up, and while “Not one said TikToker,” several did name other kinds of influencers…

PepsiCo is jumping on the dirty soda trend.

Sep 16 2026

PepsiCo is jumping on the dirty soda trend. TikTok and Mormon housewives have helped put dirty soda (a mix of soda, creamers, and sometimes fruit puree) on the map—way longer ago than you might remember, too—and now big soda brands want in on the buzz. PepsiCo released Dirty Mountain Dew and dirty-soda-flavor-inspired Mug Vanilla Howler this year, focusing on the “creamy finish” and “mouthfeel” of dirty soda and playing into little treat culture. But making a shelf-ready dirty soda isn’t easy: consumers have pre-set expectations of what it will taste like thanks to chains like Swig and are also used to customizing dirty soda to their preferences in the moment. Perhaps because of these challenges, they’re one of the first mainstream soda brands to offer ready-to-drink “dirty soda”—though we are over here wondering if it’s really dirty soda when it doesn’t have cream in it??? (Food Dive)

👀 Read more from YPulse: Gen Z’s Little Treats: The Small Splurges They Won’t Cut Out

DAILY ARTICLE

Unlock ALL of our daily research articles — and YPulse AI — with one monthly subscription. Try your first month for $1.

Start Trial
GET THE NEWSFEED IN YOUR INBOX

Sign up for the Newsletter

FREE GEN Z RESOURCES
YPulse experts bring you up-to-speed on teens and young adults in our data-driven Gen Z 101 live sessions. Watch the replays:

Enter your colleagues' emails (max 10) to invite them to sign up for a YPulse account. We'll send them a message and let them know you invited them.

plus-circle Created with Sketch Beta.

Are these emails correct? If so, click Submit Invitation(s)?