Gen Z spends about 6.9 hours a day with media and entertainment, and for the first time, most of them spend more of it on social video than on every streaming service combined. Deloitte’s 2025 Digital Media Trends survey found 58% of Gen Z now watch more social video than streaming, and 56% say social content is more relevant to them than TV shows and movies. Around 90% of US teens use YouTube (Pew Research Center, December 2025), and 54% of 18-to-24-year-olds name social media as their main source of news (Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025). This analysis consolidates data from Deloitte, Pew Research Center, the Reuters Institute, Nielsen, Edison Research, the Entertainment Software Association, and 3 other primary sources to map how Gen Z actually consumes media in 2026.
TL;DR
- Gen Z spends about 6.9 hours a day with media and entertainment (Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends).
- 58% of Gen Z spend more time on social video than on streaming services (Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends).
- 90% of US teens use YouTube, ahead of TikTok and Instagram at roughly 60% each (Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025).
- 21% of teens are on TikTok almost constantly and 20% on YouTube almost constantly (Pew Research Center, 2025).
- 54% of US 18-to-24-year-olds name social media as their main news source (Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025).
- Streaming hit a record 47.5% of all US TV viewing in December 2025 (Nielsen, The Gauge).
- Gen Z and millennials spend 4 hours 30 minutes a day with audio (Edison Research, Gen Z Audio Report 2025).
- 47% of the US Gen Z online population are monthly podcast listeners (Edison Research, Gen Z Audio Report 2025).
- 90% of Gen Z identify as gamers (Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends).
- 89% of Gen Z say video games can introduce them to new friends (ESA, 2025 Essential Facts).
- 57% of Gen Z would become an influencer if given the opportunity (Morning Consult, 2023-2024).
- Gen Z global spending reached about $2.7 trillion in 2024 (Bank of America Institute / NIQ, 2025).
1. The Daily Media Diet: Hours and Attention
Gen Z’s day is saturated with content, but the mix has tilted decisively toward short, social, and audio formats over long-form TV. Deloitte measures Gen Z at about 6.9 hours a day with media and entertainment, spending 54% more time than the average consumer on social platforms and user-generated content, roughly 50 extra minutes a day (Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends). The same survey shows they spend 26% less time than average watching TV and movies, about 44 fewer minutes a day. Audio fills much of the gap: Edison Research clocks Gen Z and millennials at 4 hours 30 minutes a day with audio content of all kinds.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Daily time with media and entertainment | 6.9 hours | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Daily time on social media | 1.4 hours | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Daily time on streaming video | 1.3 hours | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Extra daily time on social vs. average consumer | +50 minutes (54% more) | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Less daily time on TV and movies vs. average | -44 minutes (26% less) | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Daily time with audio (Gen Z and millennials) | 4h 30m | Edison Research, 2025 |
Context note: Deloitte’s device-informed figures run lower than self-reported survey estimates, some of which put Gen Z social use above 5 hours a day. The gap reflects method, not disagreement about direction. For the platform-by-platform picture, see our social media statistics for 2026.
2. Social Platforms: Who Uses What
Adoption among the youngest users is now near-universal for a handful of apps and thin for the rest. About 90% of US teens use YouTube, and 75% use it every day, making it the single most habitual platform for the generation (Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025). TikTok is close behind on intensity: while YouTube leads on daily reach, TikTok edges it on “almost constant” use at 21% versus 20%. The survey polled 1,458 US teens ages 13 to 17 between September 25 and October 9, 2025.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Teens who use YouTube | ~90% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Teens who use TikTok | ~60% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Teens who use Instagram | ~60% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Teens who use Snapchat | 55% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Teens on YouTube daily | 75% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Teens on TikTok almost constantly | 21% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Teen girls on Snapchat vs. boys | 61% vs. 49% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Teens who use AI chatbots | 64% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
Outlier: 36% of teens say they use at least one of these platforms almost constantly, and 64% now use AI chatbots such as ChatGPT (used by 59%), a category that barely registered two years ago.
3. Social Video vs. Streaming and Cable
The defining shift of 2026 is that social video is no longer competing with TV for spare minutes; it is winning the primary slot. 58% of Gen Z spend more time watching social video than streaming services, and 43% say they prefer YouTube and TikTok to traditional TV and streaming altogether (Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends). That preference has consequences for connection: 52% of Gen Z feel a stronger personal bond with social creators than with TV personalities or actors. The tilt toward bite-size, vertical formats is covered in depth in our short-form video statistics for 2026.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Gen Z who spend more time on social video than streaming | 58% | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Gen Z who find social content more relevant than TV/movies | 56% | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Gen Z who feel stronger connection to social creators | 52% | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Streaming share of all US TV viewing (Dec 2025) | 47.5% | Nielsen, The Gauge |
| Cable share of US TV viewing (Dec 2025) | 20.2% | Nielsen, The Gauge |
| Broadcast share of US TV viewing (Dec 2025) | 21.4% | Nielsen, The Gauge |
| Adults 18-24: streaming share of TV screen time | ~59% | Nielsen, 2025 |
| Adults 18-24: cable share of TV screen time | 13.3% | Nielsen, 2025 |
Context note: Streaming’s 47.5% record in December 2025 (Nielsen, The Gauge) is an all-ages figure; among Gen Z adults the streaming share of TV time is far higher and cable is in single-to-low-double digits.
4. How Gen Z Gets Its News
News is one of the clearest fault lines between Gen Z and older audiences: they get it from feeds and video, not front pages. 54% of US 18-to-24-year-olds name social media and video networks as their main source of news, and video news consumption climbed from 52% in 2020 to 65% in 2025 (Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025). Globally, 44% of the same age group point to social and video platforms first. The report surveyed audiences across 48 markets.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US 18-24s naming social/video as main news source | 54% | Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025 |
| Global 18-24s naming social/video as main news source | 44% | Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025 |
| Social video news consumption (2025, up from 52% in 2020) | 65% | Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025 |
| TikTok used for news globally | 16% | Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025 |
| Under-25s using AI chatbots for news weekly | 15% | Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025 |
| Audiences who sometimes or often avoid news | 40% | Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025 |
Outlier: AI chatbots are the fastest-emerging news channel for the youngest cohort, at 15% weekly among under-25s versus 7% for all adults, a sign that the next news gatekeeper may be conversational rather than a feed.
5. Audio, Podcasts, and Voice Habits
Audio is where Gen Z’s media diet gets personal, and increasingly participatory. 47% of the US Gen Z online population (about 24 million people) are monthly podcast listeners, and 76% of them discover new shows through clips on social media (Edison Research, Gen Z Audio Report 2025). Edison’s Infinite Dial 2025 puts the broader figure higher: 63% of 13-to-24-year-olds listened to or watched a podcast in the last month. For a full breakdown of the format, see our podcasting statistics for 2026.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US Gen Z online population who are monthly podcast listeners | 47% (~24M) | Edison Research, Gen Z Audio Report 2025 |
| 13-24s who listened to or watched a podcast last month | 63% | Edison Research, Infinite Dial 2025 |
| Weekly listening among Gen Z monthly podcast listeners | 7.7 hours | Edison Research, 2025 |
| Gen Z who discover podcasts via social clips | 76% | Edison Research, 2025 |
| Most-used podcast platform for Gen Z (YouTube) | 32% | Edison Research, 2025 |
| Share of daily audio time spent with spoken word | 51% | Edison Research, Spoken Word Audio Report 2025 |
Context note: Video is reshaping audio, too. YouTube (32%) has overtaken Spotify (25%) and Apple Podcasts (15%) as the service Gen Z uses most to consume podcasts, blurring the line between “listening” and “watching.”
6. Gaming and Social Play
For Gen Z, gaming is a communications channel as much as a pastime, and much of that communication is spoken. 90% of Gen Z identify as gamers, and 89% say video games can introduce them to new friends and relationships (Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends; ESA, 2025 Essential Facts). The ESA counts 205.1 million Americans who regularly play. Voice chat over Discord and in-game party systems is now a default social layer for this cohort; see our gamer demographics statistics for 2026, and if you play with a mic, our Discord voice changer guide.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Gen Z who identify as gamers | 90% | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Americans who regularly play video games | 205.1M | ESA, 2025 Essential Facts |
| Gen Z who say games can introduce new friends | 89% | ESA, 2025 Essential Facts |
| Gen Z who met people through games they would not have otherwise | 70% | ESA, 2025 Essential Facts |
| Gen Z who met a good friend or partner through games | 63% | ESA, 2025 Essential Facts |
| Average weekly play time (Gen Z and millennial gamers) | ~8 hours | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
Outlier: The social pull is generational. Where older gamers often play solo, Gen Z treats games as a place to meet people, with two-thirds reporting a real friendship or relationship that started in a game.
7. Creators, Influence, and Spending Power
Gen Z does not just consume media, it wants to make it, and it is bringing real money to the table. 57% of Gen Z say they would become an influencer if given the opportunity, and 53% consider it a respectable career (Morning Consult, 2023-2024). That ambition sits on top of rising economic weight: Gen Z global spending reached roughly $2.7 trillion in 2024 and is projected to climb steeply through 2030 (Bank of America Institute / NIQ). Creators are also where purchases start: 63% of Gen Z say social ads and reviews most influence their buying decisions.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Gen Z who would be an influencer if given the opportunity | 57% | Morning Consult, 2023 |
| Gen Z who would be an influencer (2024 reading) | 55% | Morning Consult, 2024 |
| Gen Z who consider influencing a respectable career | 53% | Morning Consult |
| Gen Z who say social ads/reviews most influence purchases | 63% | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Gen Z global spending (2024) | ~$2.7 trillion | Bank of America Institute / NIQ, 2025 |
| Gen Z share of world population | ~25% | Bank of America Institute / NIQ, 2025 |
Outlier: Interest in creator careers has barely moved in five years, roughly 55-57% across 2019, 2023, and 2024, suggesting it is a durable identity rather than a passing trend (Morning Consult).
Summary: Gen Z Media Consumption by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Daily time with audio (Gen Z and millennials) | 4h 30m | Edison Research, 2025 |
| Gen Z who spend more time on social video than streaming | 58% | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Gen Z who prefer YouTube/TikTok to TV and streaming | 43% | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| US teens who use YouTube | ~90% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| US teens on TikTok almost constantly | 21% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Teens who use AI chatbots | 64% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| US 18-24s naming social as main news source | 54% | Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025 |
| Video news consumption (2025) | 65% | Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025 |
| Under-25s using AI chatbots for news weekly | 15% | Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025 |
| Streaming share of US TV viewing (Dec 2025) | 47.5% | Nielsen, The Gauge |
| Adults 18-24: streaming share of TV time | ~59% | Nielsen, 2025 |
| US Gen Z monthly podcast listeners | 47% (~24M) | Edison Research, Gen Z Audio Report 2025 |
| Gen Z who discover podcasts via social clips | 76% | Edison Research, 2025 |
| Share of daily audio time spent with spoken word | 51% | Edison Research, Spoken Word Audio Report 2025 |
| Gen Z who identify as gamers | 90% | Deloitte, 2025 Digital Media Trends |
| Gen Z who say games introduce new friends | 89% | ESA, 2025 Essential Facts |
| Americans who regularly play video games | 205.1M | ESA, 2025 Essential Facts |
| Gen Z who would be an influencer if given the chance | 57% | Morning Consult, 2023 |
| Gen Z global spending (2024) | ~$2.7 trillion | Bank of America Institute / NIQ, 2025 |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered by aggregating publicly available figures from primary reports, surveys, and industry trackers published in 2025 and early 2026, prioritizing original sources with disclosed methodology and cross-referencing figures where they diverged.
- Deloitte - 2025 Digital Media Trends (report, press release)
- Pew Research Center - Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025 (report); survey of 1,458 US teens ages 13-17, September-October 2025
- Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism - Digital News Report 2025 (executive summary); 48 markets
- Nielsen - The Gauge, December 2025 (release)
- Edison Research - Gen Z Audio Report 2025 (overview), Infinite Dial 2025 (overview), and Spoken Word Audio Report 2025
- Entertainment Software Association (ESA) - 2025 Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry (summary); 5,000 respondents, February 2025
- Morning Consult - influencer aspiration tracking, 2023-2024 (analysis)
- Bank of America Institute / NIQ - Gen Z spending power estimates, 2025 (Bank of America Institute)
Data watch: Several of these are recurring publications with new editions due soon. Nielsen’s The Gauge updates monthly; the Reuters Institute Digital News Report and Deloitte Digital Media Trends both publish annually (the 2026 editions are expected in mid-2026); Pew’s teen social media study and Edison’s Infinite Dial and Gen Z Audio Report run on annual cycles; the ESA’s Essential Facts refreshes each summer. Where a figure is the most recent available, its report year is named inline.
Last updated: July 10, 2026.
We review and update this page quarterly as new data is published.