YouTube remains the go-to platform for Gen Z teens. More than 80% of surveyed 13–17-year-olds said YouTube is how they consume content, according to findings from Precise TV and research agency Giraffe Insights. US teens between the ages of 13 and 17 also named YouTube as their favorite social media app, closely followed by TikTok.
Gen Z teens aren’t just watching videos on YouTube, they’re sticking around for the ads, according to the Precise Advertiser Report: Teens and Youth (PARTY). Almost 50% of teens can recall an ad they’ve seen on YouTube. Not only are they remembering the ads, but 60% are also watching them instead of tapping the skip button.
This puts YouTube in the prime spot to drive purchase power, and TikTok isn’t far behind, highlighting a shift in power away from more traditional video sources that’s been going on for years. Seventy percent of surveyed teens said they’ve bought something or asked their parents for a product they saw on the viral app. In short, YouTube and TikTok are the best places to get a product in front of an audience. What was once the JC Penney Christmas toy catalog and prime-time commercials, now lives in just a handful of apps.
“These findings are already convincing many of our advertising partners — agencies, media companies and brands — to double down on YouTube as their top video advertising channel,” Denis Crushell, Precise TV’s Chief Commercial Officer said in a statement. “Additionally, we’re experiencing more media buyers coming to us who were historically reluctant to target teens and families because Precise TV can uniquely deliver video-level targeting and performance — all in a completely COPPA-compliant way. As a result, expect more advertisers to move their ad buys from linear TV to YouTube.”
YouTube wasn’t immediately available for comment.
This past year, YouTube has been working to improve its subscription live streaming service, YouTube TV, with higher quality videos and DVR support. The video site has also offered a number of deals like four months of Max for free with the purchase of NFL Sunday Ticket. It has also gotten more aggressive in pushing YouTube Premium, an ad-free version of its core site, to consumers.