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YouTube Is First Stop For Gen Alpha In Living Room Culture Shift
The Guardian
|July 30, 2025
Children are now heading to YouTube from the moment they turn on the television, in the latest sign of the video platform's migration from the laptop to the living room.
YouTube is the most popular first destination for Generation Alpha, according to a comprehensive survey of the UK's viewing habits by Ofcom, the communications regulator. One in five young TV viewers aged from four to 15 turned straight to the platform last year. The survey showed Netflix close behind. While BBC One was in the top five first destinations, children were just as likely to choose BBC iPlayer.
YouTube's increasing presence on televisions is not just down to the very young. In a gradual culture shift, viewers aged 55 and over watched almost twice as much YouTube content last year as they did in 2023, up from six minutes a day to 11 minutes a day. An increasing proportion of that (42%) is viewed on a smart TV set.
Overall, viewers spent an average of 39 minutes on YouTube a day in 2024. The platform is now the second most-watched service in the UK, behind the BBC but in front of ITV.
This story is from the July 30, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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