Gen Z Social Media Usage 2025

Social Media’s Most Engaged Generation Also Wants a Life Outside of It

Report by Minda Smiley  | Sep 18, 2025
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Social media is a must-have for Gen Z, but they crave time offline
TikTok and Instagram ramp up the battle for Gen Z’s attention as YouTube becomes a bigger threat
Gen Z is playing a large role in legitimizing and broadening the creator economy
Social media is woven into Gen Z’s shopping habits, but it’s only one part of the equation
While most Gen Zers use genAI, it’s not having a major impact on their social habits
Recommendations for marketers
EMARKETER Interviews
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
Social media is intertwined into Gen Zers’ day-to-day lives, used for everything from entertainment to messaging to searching. But they’re posting less than older generations and want to spend less time on it, though that’s easier said than done.
Topics
Generation Z
Teens
Social Media Usage
US
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Social media is a must-have for Gen Z, but they crave time offline
TikTok and Instagram ramp up the battle for Gen Z’s attention as YouTube becomes a bigger threat
Gen Z is playing a large role in legitimizing and broadening the creator economy
Social media is woven into Gen Z’s shopping habits, but it’s only one part of the equation
While most Gen Zers use genAI, it’s not having a major impact on their social habits
Recommendations for marketers
EMARKETER Interviews
Sources
Media Gallery

Social media has become a fixture in Gen Zers’ lives. It’s a place to be entertained, search, catch up on news, and more. Despite Gen Z’s reliance on social, they’re increasingly tired of the amount of time they spend on it and try to limit usage.

Key Question: How can marketers best reach, engage, and resonate with Gen Z on social media?

Key Stat: Only 17% of Gen Zers have never tried to limit their social media usage, per The Harris Poll, a sign that this generation is hyperaware of their screentime and the negative effects of social media despite being avid users.

Only a Slim Minority of Gen Zers Have Never Tried to Limit Their Social Media Usage
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    Table of Contents

    1. Executive Summary
    2. Social media is a must-have for Gen Z, but they crave time offline
    3. TikTok and Instagram ramp up the battle for Gen Z’s attention as YouTube becomes a bigger threat
    4. Gen Z is playing a large role in legitimizing and broadening the creator economy
    1. Social media is woven into Gen Z’s shopping habits, but it’s only one part of the equation
    2. While most Gen Zers use genAI, it’s not having a major impact on their social habits
    3. Recommendations for marketers
    4. EMARKETER Interviews
    1. Sources
    2. Media Gallery

    Charts in This Report

    Only a Slim Minority of Gen Zers Have Never Tried to Limit Their Social Media UsageEntertainment Is the Top Reason Adult Gen Zers Use Social Media
    ChatGPT Has Generally Caught Up to TikTok in Search Usage for All Age Groups Except Gen ZInstagram Is Seeing Bigger Gen Z User Gains Than TikTok
    More Than Half of Gen Zers Use YouTube More Now Than They Did in the Past YearOver Half of Gen Zers Say Social Media Content Is More Relevant to Them Than TV or Movies
    Gen Z Social Buyers Will Outnumber Millennial Social Buyers by 2026US Adults Are Unlikely to Engage With Content From an AI-Generated Influencer (% of US adults, by generation, Jan 2025)

    Interviewed for This Report

    Rachael Brill
    Wpromote
    Senior Director, Media Strategy
    Interviewed September 2, 2025
    Brian Pham
    Influencer
    Vice President, Strategy and Creative, North America
    Interviewed August 27, 2025
    Andrew Roth
    dcdx
    Founder and CEO
    Interviewed August 28, 2025

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    authors

    Minda Smiley

    Contributors

    Rahul Chadha
    Director, Report Editing
    Jasmine Enberg
    Vice President and Principal Analyst
    Donte Gibson
    Senior Charts Editor
    Kyndall Krist
    Senior Copy Editor
    Tracy Tang
    Senior Researcher
    Matt Torpey
    Senior Chart Editor
    Emman Velasco
    Chart Editor
    Paul Verna
    VP, Content