A frequent refrain in the library world seems to be that it is difficult to engage youth and teens. Whether it is getting them interested in and excited about reading or having them show up and participate in programming, it seems to be a struggle for more than a few libraries.
A great first question to ask yourself when you’re trying to engage with more youth and teens is, “where can they find information on books and programming that appeal to them?” Once you’ve answered that question, the very important follow up is, “do youth and teens actually frequent the spaces (virtual or physical) where we’ve advertised these things?” As always, it is important to meet people where they are at, rather than trying to entice them to come to you. Advertise in the places where your target audience is going to see it and you’ll find much more success.
According to data collected in the US and in Canada, different social media and apps are popular in different age groups across the 7-18 demographic. The vast majority of youth in North America are engaging with social media daily for upwards of two hours a day and it presents a valuable opportunity to talk about library benefits, books, and programming directly with youth. You just need to know the right platform to reach them on and do so with their well-being and safety in mind.
Ages 7-9
Most kids in the 7-9 age range don’t have their own phones yet but many of them either have their own tablet, or have access to one daily. Roblox and YouTube come forward as the clear winners in this age demographic. Kids engage heavily with video content and the gaming/chatting features in the Roblox app.
Ages 10-12
By age 10, nearly half of kids in the US have a smartphone so we start to see a small shift in social media preferences at this age. Roblox and YouTube remain extremely popular but TikTok and Snapchat usage starts creeping up during these years.
Ages 13-15
At this point, gaming platforms like Roblox drop in popularity and kids start spending hours every day on short-form video platforms. TikTok reigns supreme in this age category and all moving forward. In Canada, 78% of youth use social media as the main way to consume video content. Knowing this, it comes as no surprise that TikTok and Snapchat are the two most popular apps for teens aged 13-15.
Ages 16-18
TikTok and Instagram vie for the attention of older teens in the video realm while Snapchat and Discord are the most popular ways to communicate with people online.
It is worth noting, especially because most libraries rely heavily on Facebook as their main form of social media, that Facebook and X(Twitter) are not popular with youth. While Facebook was represented in the data for most of these age groups, the frequency with which they are visiting Facebook and the amount of time they are spending there are insignificant.
So, the next time you set out to market something geared towards teens, ask yourself if they’ll see what you’re advertising. If not, re-consider your approach. Give serious thought to expanding your social media presence. Recognize that video is a teen’s preferred method of information delivery and adjust your social media plan to reflect this.