YouTube Dominates Attention, AI Goes Mainstream with U.S. Teens (REPORT)

Led by ChatGPT and Google Gemini usage, Precise TV’s 2025 PARTY report reveals 69% of U.S. teens use AI platforms, while they’re turning to YouTube to learn, create, and explore

NEW YORK, LONDON and SYDNEY — August 27, 2025 — Precise TV, the contextual video ad tech platform driving business outcomes for brands, today released its third annual Precise Advertiser Report: Teens & Youth (PARTY), a comprehensive report analyzing input from a proprietary panel of U.S. teens aged 13-17 and their parents. A cross-generational teen panel spanning late Gen Z and early Gen Alpha (Gen Z/A), PARTY evaluates how these teens consume content, engage with ads, and now increasingly use artificial intelligence tools in everyday life.

“While AI adoption is on the rise and impacts the way people interact with search, YouTube remains the top gateway through which teens consume content and take action,” said Christian Dankl, Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Precise TV. “This year’s PARTY delivers critical insights that power our PACE measurement engine, underpinned by our proprietary AI solution. PACE gives brands an unmatched view into how Gen A and Gen Z teens are gaming, using AI, and watching YouTube – and how those behaviors influence both them and their parents, ultimately driving real-world purchasing decisions.”

Below are select insights from this year’s PARTY report, available in full here.

AI Has Arrived for Gen A and Gen Z Teens

69% of U.S. teens now use AI platforms, and that number is climbing. ChatGPT (83%) and Google Gemini (67%) lead the pack, with usage driven by schoolwork, creativity, and content creation.

Nearly half of teens use AI for social media and video content, surfacing a new generation of creators and curators powered by generative tools. Additional top uses for AI:

• School & learning: 62% girls | 61% boys
• Writing and communication: 47% girls | 47% boys 
• [See full chart from the report below]

YouTube Reigns Supreme Across Screens and Spheres of Influence

• 91% of teens watch YouTube, the most popular platform among all formats (up from 77% from PARTY 2024). 
• 84% watch on mobile, and nearly a third co-view content with a parent.
• YouTube Shorts continue to challenge TikTok for short-form dominance, especially among teen boys.
• Gaming, music videos, and comedy are the most-watched YouTube content genres.

From Co-Viewing to Co-Shopping: The YouTube Effect

• YouTube drives more pester power than any other platform: 18% of teens saw their most recent “buy request” ad on YouTube vs. 12% on TikTok.
• Ad impact is generationally shared: 67% of parents and 38% of teens recall seeing their last purchase-driving ad on YouTube.

Gaming Trends

Gaming continues to be a cultural cornerstone for U.S. teens, with 77% watching others play video games, most often on YouTube (91%). Titles like Minecraft, Fortnite, and creators such as MrBeast dominate their watch lists. 

Teens’ Outsized Influence on Family Spending

Beyond their own wish lists, teens exert significant sway over household purchase decisions. From clothes (61%) and food (53%) to electronics (38%) and even vacations (37%), their preferences shape family spending. Combined with YouTube’s unmatched ad recall among both teens and parents, these insights underscore why the platform remains a critical touchpoint for brands.

“This report is a must-read for media buyers in every major ad category from retail and entertainment to tech and CPG,” said Denis Crushell, Chief Commercial Officer at Precise TV. “With YouTube leading teen attention, and teens influencing purchases far beyond their own wish lists, the data makes a compelling case for brands to rethink their video strategy. The insights in this report empower advertisers to target with precision, plan with confidence, and capture measurable outcomes across the platforms and moments that matter most.”

The 2025 PARTY survey was conducted with 1,000 U.S. teens (ages 13–17) and their parents. The report also provides demographic breakouts (e.g., age, gender) and media/advertising insights across video, gaming, social, mobile, and retail behaviors.

About COPPA

COPPA, aka Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule, importantly imposes certain requirements on publishers and advertisers surfacing content to children under 13 years of age. For nearly a decade, Precise TV has been the de facto COPPA-compliant leader in YouTube advertising, expanding in recent years to serve additional social video platforms such as TikTok as well as in-app mobile gaming. The company commissions surveys of families and produces its PARK and PARTY (Precise Advertiser Report: Teens & Youth) reports, empowering media, agencies and brands with rich insights to responsibly deliver content to parents and kids.  

About Precise TV

Founded in 2015, Precise TV is the world’s first and leading KidSafe COPPA certified YouTube advertising platform. The award-winning contextual intelligence platform leverages a combination of proprietary machine learning models to connect brands to the video moments that matter across YouTube, Shorts, Facebook, TikTok, Connected TV and Mobile Gaming, driving lower funnel business outcomes for advertisers looking to limit media wastage. With offices in London, Sydney, New York and L.A. Precise TV is Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) certified, and was named a 2024 Google Premier Partner after meeting the rigorous requirements of the recently revamped Google Partners program. ​​LDC, the private equity investor which is part of Lloyds Banking Group, made a £21m minority investment in Precise TV in January 2025 to support its international expansion. For more information, visit: https://www.precise.tv/. 

### - END