Why Teen and Young Adult Viewers Are Not Showing Up
Teen and young adult viewers are tuning out traditional media like books, news, TV shows, and even some streaming content in droves. Sales of young adult books have dropped sharply in 2025, continuing a multi-year slump, while reading rates among kids and teens have plummeted as they turn to other distractions.https://bookriot.com/whats-happening-in-ya-2025/ Teens simply do not have much spare cash, and a 16-dollar paperback feels like a big splurge when money is tight. On top of that, they face heavier responsibilities at home and school with fewer bright prospects ahead, leaving little time or energy for sitting down with a book.https://bookriot.com/whats-happening-in-ya-2025/
Social media has taken over their free time in a big way. A major study of over 14,000 Australian students aged 11 to 14 found daily social media use exploded from 26 percent in 2019 to 85 percent by 2022, even after pandemic rules ended.https://unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2025/social-media-use-soars-as-kids-drop-sport-reading-and-the-arts4/ Reading, sports, music, and arts all saw steep declines that stuck around. Girls spend more time on social media than boys, while boys cut back on reading the most. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram dominate, with about three-quarters of U.S. teens hitting YouTube daily and 61 percent on TikTok every day.https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/12/09/teens-social-media-and-ai-chatbots-2025/https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/11/20/americans-social-media-use-2025/ One in five teens say they use TikTok or YouTube almost constantly, and 36 percent are nearly always on at least one platform.https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/12/09/teens-social-media-and-ai-chatbots-2025/
These apps are designed to hook users with endless scrolls, quick hits of fun, and personalized feeds that feel rewarding right away. Old-school media cannot compete with that instant pull. Teens are also ditching platforms like X (down to 16 percent usage from 33 percent a decade ago) and Facebook (now just 30 percent), sticking to a few addictive favorites instead.https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/12/09/teens-social-media-and-ai-chatbots-2025/
Content itself plays a role too. In young adult books, publishers are flooding the market with romantasy titles aimed at adults, not teens. Younger teens have nothing to grow into from middle-grade books, older ones reread kid favorites, and fans of mystery, adventure, or humor get left behind because romance dominates everything.https://bookriot.com/whats-happening-in-ya-2025/ Fewer YA titles overall mean less variety to draw readers in.
News media fares even worse. Most teens see it as biased, boring, or just plain bad, with 84 percent holding negative views. Two-thirds show little concern about news outlets disappearing, mirroring low trust among adults.https://newslit.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/NLP-Teens-and-News-Media-Report-2025.pdf They skip it entirely for social feeds that mix entertainment with snippets of info.
Young adults in their late teens and twenties follow the same pattern, flocking to TikTok and YouTube daily at rates far higher than older groups, while traditional viewing drops off.https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/11/20/americans-social-media-use-2025/
Sources
https://bookriot.com/whats-happening-in-ya-2025/
https://unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2025/social-media-use-soars-as-kids-drop-sport-reading-and-the-arts4/
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/12/09/teens-social-media-and-ai-chatbots-2025/
