Nearly one-third of young Americans create content online, survey finds

Almost one-third of younger Individuals aged 13-24 actively create and publish digital content material on-line, positioning content material creation as a mainstream exercise amongst youthful demographics fairly than a distinct segment pursuit, in line with analysis revealed on October 15, 2025, by Edison Analysis.

The nationwide on-line survey performed in Might 2025 discovered that 18% of Individuals aged 13 and older presently interact in creating or producing unique content material shared publicly on-line. The information reveals stark generational divides: 30% of Individuals aged 13-24 determine as digital content material creators, whereas 28% of these aged 25-44 reported the identical exercise. Amongst Individuals aged 45 and older, solely 7% take part in content material creation.

“As of Might 2025, 18% of Individuals 13+ say that they’re presently concerned with the creation or manufacturing of any unique content material that’s shared publicly on-line,” the analysis states. The findings emerge from a nationwide on-line survey analyzing digital content material creation patterns throughout American demographics.

The analysis quantifies a phenomenon that has reworked from fringe exercise into widespread conduct over the previous decade. Near one-fifth of the American inhabitants now dedicates time to creating content material that others view, like, and share throughout social platforms. This represents roughly 48 million Individuals engaged in some type of public content material creation based mostly on present inhabitants estimates.

The age-based distribution demonstrates how internet-native generations method content material creation in a different way than older cohorts. Millennials and Era Z, who grew up with social media platforms and smartphone video recording capabilities, present considerably greater participation charges. The dramatic decline amongst these aged 45 and older—falling from 28% to only 7%—illustrates how content material creation stays concentrated amongst youthful demographics regardless of the maturation of social media platforms.

The influencer trade’s financial scale supplies context for these participation charges. In line with a 2024 Forbes article referenced within the Edison Analysis publication, the influencer trade holds an approximate worth of $250 billion and projections counsel development to $500 billion by 2027. The creator economy continues expanding, with world valuations reaching $191 billion in 2025 and projected development to $528.39 billion by 2030 representing a 22.5% compound annual development price.

This financial enlargement impacts digital promoting methods. User-generated content creators have grown by 93% year-over-year, demonstrating how content material creation has advanced from a small group of high-profile influencers right into a distributed community of micro-influencers and on a regular basis content material producers.

The survey’s methodology examined Individuals aged 13 and older by way of a nationwide on-line examine, although Edison Analysis didn’t disclose the precise pattern measurement or margin of error within the public announcement. The analysis agency describes the findings as “never-before-seen knowledge” on digital content material creators, suggesting this represents Edison Analysis’s first systematic examination of content material creator prevalence fairly than a longitudinal examine monitoring modifications over time.

Platform proliferation has lowered technical obstacles to content material creation. TikTok’s mobile-first video creation instruments, Instagram’s built-in modifying options, and YouTube’s accessible add programs allow content material manufacturing with out specialised tools or technical experience. The democratization of creation instruments has coincided with algorithmic distribution programs that may floor content material from unknown creators to massive audiences, creating incentive constructions that encourage participation.

Marketing strategies have adapted to accommodate creator economies, with influencer partnerships now showing alongside social media promoting and search engine marketing content material in awareness-stage ways. The mixing of creator collaboration into customary advertising frameworks displays the normalization of content material creator relationships as distribution channels fairly than experimental ways.

The information carries implications for manufacturers creating influencer advertising methods. With almost one-third of youthful Individuals actively creating content material, the normal mannequin of partnering with a small variety of high-profile influencers represents only one method. Micro-influencers and area of interest content material creators—people with smaller however extremely engaged audiences—supply various partnership alternatives that will ship extra focused attain.

Content material authenticity has emerged as a important issue affecting marketing campaign efficiency. Analysis analyzing Italian influencer advertising spending of €350 million discovered that campaigns attaining highest engagement charges maintained real influencer persona integration whereas delivering model messages naturally, with overly promotional content material displaying decreased efficiency.

Platform algorithm modifications have an effect on content material creator viability. YouTube creators reported significant viewership drops in August 2025 following undisclosed platform modifications, with a number of channels documenting synchronized declines affecting content material distribution patterns. These technical changes display how platform insurance policies immediately influence creator sustainability and, by extension, the attractiveness of content material creation as an exercise.

The analysis didn’t study content material creator motivations, earnings ranges, or time funding. Edison Analysis notes that “the figures outlined above mirror solely a small pattern of the information Edison Analysis presently has on digital content material creators in 2025,” suggesting further findings could also be launched subsequently.

Monetization accessibility varies considerably throughout platforms and creator scales. YouTube’s Partner Program requires 4,000 watch hours or 10 million Shorts views for eligibility, creating obstacles that exclude many informal content material creators from direct platform funds. Different income streams together with model partnerships, merchandise gross sales, and platform-specific tipping options have diversified earnings alternatives past conventional promoting income sharing.

The demographic focus of content material creation amongst youthful Individuals raises questions on long-term sustainability. As present 13-24 12 months outdated creators age into older demographics, participation charges amongst older cohorts could improve if content material creation turns into a maintained behavior fairly than an age-specific exercise. Alternatively, content material creation could stay primarily a teen’s exercise, with every era biking by way of participation throughout youthful years earlier than decreasing involvement.

Instructional establishments have begun incorporating content material creation into curricula, recognizing each the technical expertise and media literacy required for efficient digital content material manufacturing. This formalization could normalize content material creation as a regular skillset fairly than a specialised curiosity, probably affecting future participation charges.

The analysis was revealed on October 15, 2025, as a part of Edison Analysis’s Weekly Insights electronic mail sequence. Edison Analysis, which lately introduced its acquisition by SSRS, maintains its crew and analysis operations whereas gaining mixed experience throughout qualitative and quantitative analysis, media insights, and public opinion measurement.

Digital promoting spending patterns mirror the trade’s adaptation to creator economies. WPP Media projects creator-generated advertising revenue will more than double to $376.6 billion by 2030, positioning user-generated content material as a considerable element of the promoting ecosystem fairly than a supplementary channel.

The Might 2025 survey timing preceded a number of main platform modifications affecting content material creators. Google introduced social posts and creator follows to Discover in September 2025, whereas YouTube announced its largest creator toolkit update with AI-powered tools in September, implementing options that have an effect on creator monetization pathways.

Model security issues and measurement challenges persist as obstacles to elevated advertiser spending on influencer campaigns. Conventional metrics together with follower counts and engagement charges face scrutiny on account of bot exercise and synthetic inflation. GroupM’s INCA platform launched in Asia to address these challenges by way of fraud detection and viewers validation programs.

The analysis supplies baseline knowledge that quantifies content material creator prevalence with out making projections about future development. With 18% of Individuals aged 13 and older presently creating content material, and concentrations reaching 30% amongst youthful demographics, content material creation has achieved mainstream adoption amongst internet-native generations whereas remaining comparatively unusual amongst older Individuals.

Social media now reaches 68.7% of global population, with 5.66 billion consumer identities representing a “supermajority” the place social media customers outnumber non-users two to at least one. This infrastructure helps the content material creation behaviors documented by Edison Analysis, offering distribution channels that allow on a regular basis creators to achieve audiences beforehand accessible solely to conventional media organizations.

Platform competitors for creator consideration intensifies as monetization choices develop. YouTube has paid $100 billion to creators over the past four years, with 3 million channels now incomes income by way of the Accomplice Program. This monetary scale demonstrates how content material creation has matured from experimental exercise into viable financial participation for hundreds of thousands of Individuals.

The convergence of accessible creation instruments, algorithmic distribution programs, and numerous monetization pathways has essentially altered the media panorama. The Edison Analysis findings doc this transformation quantitatively, establishing that content material creation now represents a mainstream exercise amongst youthful Individuals fairly than an aspirational pursuit restricted to leisure trade professionals.

Timeline

• Might 2025 – Edison Analysis conducts nationwide on-line survey measuring digital content material creator prevalence amongst Individuals aged 13 and older
• September 16, 2025 – YouTube announces Veo 3 integration and reveals $100 billion paid to creators over 4 years with Accomplice Program reaching 3 million channels
• September 17, 2025 – Google Discover adds social posts from X, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts with creator observe options
• September 26, 2025 – The Influencer Marketing Factory releases survey showing 41% of U.S. social media users attended in-person influencer events
• October 15, 2025 – Edison Analysis publishes findings revealing 18% of Individuals 13+ create digital content material, with 30% participation amongst ages 13-24, coinciding with Digital 2026 report showing 5.66 billion social media users globally
• August 13, 2025 – YouTube creators identify significant algorithm changes affecting viewership distribution
• August 1, 2025 – YouTube launches collaboration feature allowing up to five creators on single videos
• July 2025 – YouTube clarifies monetization policies addressing creator confusion about AI content material and “inauthentic content material” tips
• June 2025 – WPP Media projects creator-generated revenue to reach $376.6 billion by 2030
• March 31, 2025 – YouTube changes Shorts view counting methodology eradicating minimal watch time necessities

Abstract

Who: Edison Analysis performed a nationwide on-line survey analyzing Individuals aged 13 and older. The analysis identifies three age cohorts: ages 13-24 (30% creating content material), ages 25-44 (28% creating content material), and ages 45 and older (7% creating content material).

What: The survey measured the share of Individuals presently concerned in creating or producing unique content material shared publicly on-line. Outcomes present 18% general participation, with considerably greater charges amongst youthful demographics and dramatic decline amongst these aged 45 and older.

When: The survey was performed in Might 2025, with findings revealed on October 15, 2025, as a part of Edison Analysis’s Weekly Insights sequence.

The place: The analysis examined content material creation patterns throughout the USA utilizing a nationwide on-line survey methodology. The publication didn’t specify geographic variations inside the nation.

Why: Edison Analysis sought to quantify content material creator prevalence past high-profile influencers to know what share of the general American inhabitants engages in digital content material creation. The analysis supplies baseline knowledge for understanding the size of content material creation as an exercise fairly than analyzing particular platforms, motivations, or monetization patterns.