US Gen Z Social Media Activities 2023

What Are Their Preferred Platforms for Video, Search, Shopping, Creators, and More?

Report by Debra Aho Williamson  | UPDATED: Dec 22, 2023
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Executive Summary
Gen Z’s attention is divided among platforms and activities.
For many social activities, top-platform status is still up for grabs.
What are Gen Z’s favorite platforms for video and Stories?
Which platforms are fighting for go-to status in search, following creators, and shopping?
There are key differences between teens and adult Gen Zers.
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
Which platforms are Gen Z’s top choice for key social media activities? Our proprietary survey sheds light on how they spend their social media time.
Topics
Social Media Usage
Generation Z
Teens
United States
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Gen Z’s attention is divided among platforms and activities.
For many social activities, top-platform status is still up for grabs.
What are Gen Z’s favorite platforms for video and Stories?
Which platforms are fighting for go-to status in search, following creators, and shopping?
There are key differences between teens and adult Gen Zers.
Sources
Media Gallery

Gen Zers have favorite platforms for video and Stories, but they haven’t made up their mind when it comes to search, shopping, and viewing creator content. Our inaugural survey of teens and adults ages 15 to 26 reveals the platforms that are garnering Gen Z’s loyalty and those that need to step up their game.

Key Question: Which platforms do teen and adult Gen Zers turn to first for key social media activities?

Social Media Activities of US Gen Z Social Media Users, July 2023 (% of respondents)
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KEY STAT: The top three Gen Z social activities are watching videos, viewing Stories, and liking/commenting on content.

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Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Gen Z’s attention is divided among platforms and activities.
  3. For many social activities, top-platform status is still up for grabs.
  1. What are Gen Z’s favorite platforms for video and Stories?
  2. Which platforms are fighting for go-to status in search, following creators, and shopping?
  3. There are key differences between teens and adult Gen Zers.
  1. Sources
  2. Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

Social Media Activities of US Gen Z Social Media Users, July 2023 (% of respondents)Instagram Is the Go-To for Gen Z to View Stories (% of US Gen Z social media Stories viewers, July 2023)
TikTok Isn't Gen Z's Top Choice for Search—YouTube Is (% of US Gen Z social search users, July 2023)TikTok Is Gen Z's No. 1 Choice for Creator Content, but Instagram and YouTube Aren't Far Behind (% of US Gen Z creator content viewers, July 2023)
Gen Z's Preferred Platforms for Shopping/Product Discovery Are TikTok and Instagram (% of US Gen Z social media users who use social media for shopping/product discovery, July 2023)

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First Published on Sep 25, 2023

authors

Debra Aho Williamson

Contributors

Jasmine Enberg
Principal Analyst
Paola Flores-Marquez
Researcher, Latin America & Spain
Na Li
Director, Primary Research
Jennifer Merritt
Vice President, Content
Jennifer Pearson
VP, Research

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