Many of today’s teenagers are members of Gen Alpha, and as per usual, that cohort has a clear preference for YouTube over other digital platforms. London-based ad tech provider Precise TV has shared the latest edition of its Precise Advertiser Report – Teens & Youth (PARTY), and the results show that ads on YouTube — and on its short-form format — are driving purchases at efficient rates.
Precise TV’s annual appraisal of teenage browsing habits involves a survey of 1,000 U.S. teens between the ages of 13 and 17, as well as their parents. 91% of the queried teens said they use YouTube; not only is that percentage the highest figure for any platform, it also represents a 14% year-over-year increase. TikTok was the second-most commonly used platform, reaching 75% of surveyed teens, while Instagram was right behind with a 74% share.
YouTube’s dominance of today’s teens is not just a product of reach — the Google-owned hub also keeps people watching for hours at a time. PARTY respondents who reported using TikTok were more likely to say that they browse the app for an hour or less, whereas for YouTube, sessions over two hours were more common than 30-minute bursts of activity.
The combination of long reach and high watch time powers YouTube’s success in the ad world. 25% of the teens who contributed to the PARTY study said that the last item they requested from their parents came from an ad on YouTube Shorts. That percentage compares favorably to the 12% of teens who requested items after seeing TikTok ads. Purchase rates for YouTube Shorts ads were also higher than the equivalent rates on TikTok.
These results line up with the data Precise TV has gleaned from younger members of Gen Alpha. Its latest survey of kids between the ages of two and 12 — which it refers to via the abbreviation PARK — found that 75% of the young respondents ask their parents to buy something after seeing an ad for it on YouTube Shorts.
These findings line up with other recent data points that have also underscored YouTube’s ongoing appeal among American youth. Last year, for example, the Pew Research Center found that Google’s video hub outpaces the competition when it comes to teenage reach. Precise TV’s report corroborates that assertion while digging deeper into the platforms, creators, and content categories that are driving teen culture. More details about the agency’s work can be found on its website.