A study by Pew Research on teenagers' behavior on social media found that YouTube is still by far the most used social platform among 13- to 17-year-olds. After YouTube, TikTok follows as the most used platform. To reach this target group, it is important to be visible on these platforms and to effectively use video content.
Why teens keep choosing YouTube
For teens, YouTube is more than entertainment. They use it for:
- inspiration and trends
- how-to’s and tutorials
- music and creator content
- schoolwork and explainer videos
Because YouTube supports both long-form and short-form formats, it fits a wide range of viewing moments. The algorithm reinforces this by quickly learning personal interests, making young users more likely to watch longer and return more often.
TikTok takes second place — but with different viewing moments
TikTok excels in daily engagement and rapid content discovery, but teens primarily use it for quick entertainment and trends.
YouTube, on the other hand, offers depth and longer watch time. This means brands must adjust their content approach depending on the platform:
- TikTok → short, attention-grabbing, trend-based
- YouTube → storytelling, education, product insights, long-form creator content
What this means for brands
If you want to reach this audience, video must be the core of your strategy. That includes:
- building presence on both YouTube and TikTok
- using short-form video to capture attention fast
- leveraging long-form video to explain products or strengthen your brand story
- collaborating with creators or UGC to build trust
For performance-driven campaigns, YouTube tends to work well in the consideration phase, while TikTok drives awareness and viral reach.
Video continues to dominate teen behaviour
The data makes one thing clear: video is the default content format for today’s teenagers. Brands that are not active on these platforms risk missing an influential and fast-moving demographic. Now is the time to test formats, work with creators, and track the impact of your video content more closely.
