Gen Z use smartphones as a constant source of entertainment, says a study

Gen Z is the fastest-growing generation group in the U.S., and also the most addicted generation to watch videos on mobile. WhistleSports, an entertainment company conducted a survey among Gen Z, in which almost 81% of them said they play a video on the mobile phone whenever they are doing something else to keep themselves entertained.

Gen Zers and Millennial spend most of the time watching videos mostly in the evening, making almost 60% of their watch time. Whereas, some of them spending their mornings as well in watching videos while commuting or when they have a break time.

As per Whistle, every four out of five Gen Zers think watching videos fill gaps throughout the day. A little more than half of the Gen Zers (61%) said watching TV and watching videos on mobile is almost the same experience. Whereas, only 37% of the Millennials compared mobile videos equal to watching TV. Around 63% of millennials prefer watching videos on TV as compared to Gen Zers, where only 39% think TV is a better option than a mobile device.

Study shows that Gen Zers are dependent on mobile phones as a source of continuous entertainment, more than millennials. This allows marketers and video content creators to connect with the younger lot in a much easier way than ever before.

According to the survey, 40% of the Gen Z watches Netflix mainly on mobile, whereas only 22% of millennials use smartphones for it. A vast majority, around 83% of them use mobiles for watching videos on Facebook and 74% use it for viewing videos on YouTube.

TikTok is another popular app among Gen Z that can be used by brands and marketers to target youth through a smaller screen. However, another recent study by Penthera revealed delivering compelling in-app videos on smartphones are troublesome for many.


The study by Whistles mainly focused on the mobile habits of Millennials and Gen Z, but it also supported other mobile habits oriented studies. A survey by Mobile Posse, a mobile ad firm and Phoenix Marketing revealed 80% of the people unlock their phones aimlessly when they are doing other things.

Users often unlock their phone without any intention of opening a specific app. On the other side, app publishers and marketers utilize this opportunity to grab their attention with their content.

Researchers estimated that in 2019, the average time spent on mobile phones will increase by 3.7%, 3 hours and 35 minutes whereas the average time spent on TV is estimated to be 3 hours and 43 minutes.

40% of digital view time of American adults will be spent on mobile devices, whereas the overall TV screen time is expected to be lower than using smartphones.



Read next: Generation Z Or The Millennials, Which One Adapted To The Age Of Digitization The Better (infographic)
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