Gen Alpha is ditching social media, prefers YouTube and mobile games, study shows

A study of children's video consumption habits showed that the youngest generation prefers to use YouTube far more than other forms of media, including social sites.

The survey of thousands of children ages 2-12, also known as Generation Alpha, asked about their daily media consumption. Surprisingly, the survey showed that youngsters are generally shifting away from social media platforms and focusing purely on video content.

When asked how they had been consuming content recently, 81% of respondents said they had used YouTube, with the second highest response being subscription video-on-demand at 62%.

Mobile games was the third-highest answer, with 55% of those surveyed saying they had played one of the games recently.

'Hollywood propaganda is like snail mail, social and user-generated content is like e-mail.'

These numbers were significantly higher than those of a traditional social media platform. Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat bottomed out the list of ways Gen Alpha is consuming video.

However, the data — compiled by Giraffe Insights, Precise TV, and Variety — showed that children in that age group are increasingly consuming more content.

Of 3,000 respondents, 9% more reported recently using YouTube in 2024 compared to 2023.

TikTok had the highest jump year-over-year, with an 11-point increase from 33% to 44%.

Snapchat was the only listed medium with a decrease in usage (2%); however, the "other" category also saw a drop (2%).

"User-generated content is the most weaponized, beefed up propaganda in existence right now, so it's no surprise that it's the most compelling for the youngest generation," filmmaker Cody Clarke told Blaze News.

"Everything else entertainment-wise, while still propagandic, is anemic by comparison, or dinosaur-esque. Hollywood propaganda is like snail mail, social and user-generated content is like e-mail," Clarke continued.

The data reflects that even streaming platforms are more popular among the youth than typical social media; 50% of the respondents reported watching the popular video game streaming site Twitch for between two and three hours per day, the highest response by far for that category.

Clarke pointed out that while the sheer amount of video consumption among children is alarming, it is certainly a net positive that the perils of social media are being "instinctively" avoided.

"The fact that these kids are instinctively avoiding the machine in its most obvious forms says something."

"We still need to educate young minds to the fact that what they are watching on social media is often a facsimile of individuality, but the fact that they are even instinctively seeking out human shared experience is a win, just a slightly delayed one," he added.

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