X Shares New Data on Gen Z Users

Looking to connect with Gen Z? Then X is the platform to you.

That’s according to X’s latest overview of Gen Z usage, and how younger audiences are connecting in the app.

Which is not entirely supported by third party research, but we’ll get to that.

As per X:

“X is the place to be for brands looking to engage a passionate, attentive, and often elusive Gen Z audience in the moments when they’re most receptive. Gen Z users continue to come to X, with an 8% increase YoY and a 12% increase in the US since 2022. With 31% of X’s users now belonging to Gen Z, we’re not only capturing their attention, we’re setting the pace for trends and culture, evidenced by daily emerging memes and viral moments. Gen Z is increasingly turning to X as the go-to platform for viral trends and cultural moments.”

According to X, the platform has “captured the attention of Gen Z, reeling in millions of influential users drawn to brands rooted in authenticity and immediacy.”

That’s reflected in X’s video engagement data, in which it notes that X’s immersive video feed has gained a large Gen Z following.

While the app also provides a key opportunity for younger users to follow celebrities.

In addition to this, X also notes that its audience reach is unique, with most X users not as active in other social apps.

“For example: there’s only a 19% overlap in X users and Threads – which means that you’d be missing out on X’s 81% unique reach among the most valuable Gen Zers. Compared to TikTok, X offers a 19% incremental reach – this makes X the perfect platform for those who want to maintain their momentum while reaching new people.”

Which is a fairly misleading read of these stats.

For example, X currently claims to have 570 million monthly active users in total, versus a billion on both IG and TikTok. So the user base of each is double the size of X, so to suggest that X could somehow offer better reach to younger audiences than these apps seems pretty unlikely.

It’s even more unlikely when you consider the latest demographic data from Pew Research (published in December), which shows that X is losing ground with teens.

Indeed, even GWI, from which X has sourced this data, didn’t list X in its top social platforms for Gen Z.

To be fair, the chart X that has provided only provides comparative data for people who use X, noting that only a small percentage of X using Gen Zers, for example, also use Threads. But the suggestion that you’d be missing out on significant younger audience reach by not using X is probably not right, as you’d be more likely to reach a much larger audience of young people in these other apps.

A more accurate comparison would be the percentage of TikTok or IG users who are also using X. I’m guessing that would paint a much different picture.

Regardless, according to X, younger users are interested and engaged in the app, which could present new opportunities.

And there would likely be a unique Gen Z audience in the app, but all the external data that we have suggests that other platforms are significantly more popular with younger audiences.

You can check out X’s full gen Z overview here.