• by Hanna Evron , May 5, 2016

Every brand looks to the future, thinking about the next generation of customers and how to connect with them. The popularity of video has boomed in recent years, and a new study from Defy Media, a digital entertainment company, solidifies the importance of video in connecting with the next generation.

The study contains some striking data on the video consumption habits of teens and young millennials, ages 13 to 24, specifically 91% turn to social media for video, and the demographic consumes an average of 12.1 hours a day of video from social networks and free digital video services (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, YouTube, Vine and Twitch).

Those figures don’t come as much of a surprise; we’ve known for a while that teens and young millennials love social video, and heavily favor services that are video-centric. Eighty-one percent of Snapchat’s users are in the 13 to 24 range and 71% of Vine users are millennials (a user-base that also includes a full quarter of all U.S. teens). 

What is especially exciting about this new study is just how integrated video has become in the lives of young people. Video is a constant part of their day, from waking up (65% say they watch video before work or school) to lunchtime (62%) to when they’re going to bed (67%). 

Traditional peak times jump even higher, with 81% watching in the period of time after work or school and 83% watching after dinner. That after-school block is especially popular for 13 to 18 year olds, a whopping 88% of whom say they consume video at that time.

Also of interest is what draws young people to video. While 77% say they watch video content to kill boredom, their interests also goes much deeper. They also turn to video for stress relief (61%), to stay up-to-date on current events (60%), and to learn how to do something (47%). A significant number (58%) say that video is a means to spend time with friends and family.

All this data points not only to the vital importance of video for brands now, but particularly to the overwhelming dominance of video moving forward. This deep desire for video will be carried with them as they age, which means video will continue to be the best way to connect consumers with your brand for a long time to come.

VIdeo is such a clear doorway to the youth demographic, brands would be smart to start targeting them with video content now. If you can make your content a part of a young user’s video diet, you may have an audience member — and a customer — for life.