Do people watch less news? Gen Z?

I know what your thinking. Gen Z are a bunch of woke immature socialists who don't have time to actually find out what's going on and are clueless.

First of all, that's rather harsh. Shame on you. And almost 15% of them actually follow the news which is ...err...a start?

I think I'm going to start a special version of the Report for younger viewers. Lots of cartoons, little actual rhetoric. Maybe some influencers to feature lifestyle choices.

BTW: If your Gen Z and reading this, I'm sorry. Thomas Spritzler had no input in this story.

For a deeper dive check out this greet overview release by PEW Research:

https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2025/12/03/young-adults-and-the-future-of-news/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=3788470c91-weekly_12-6-25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-3788470c91-401199757

Headline-fatigued Americans are tapping out of the news cycle

Chart R

News has never been more within reach than it is today; however, constant updates and push notifications are now causing a growing portion of Americans to consciously keep current affairs at arm’s length.

A survey update from Pew Research Center, published Wednesday, found that the overall share of US adults who reported following the news all or most of the time fell to 36% in August 2025 — a significant drop from the 51% recorded in 2016.

What’s striking is that this trend tracks across all age cohorts, including those considered to be the most plugged in. From the Pew data, 30- to 49-year-olds have seen the biggest drop-off from 2016, with 20% fewer respondents in that age group saying that they keep up with news all or most of the time, while the share of 50- to 64-year-olds saying the same slumped 16% in that period.

Fellow (dis)associates

“Brain rot” social media consumption that’s often blamed for the increasingly fragmented news landscape is most commonly associated with Gen Z.

And though young adults do follow the news less closely than other age groups, and a growing number of middle-aged Americans are using social media as a news source, the practice of active avoidance might lend just as much insight into the drop-offs as increasing time spent on apps like TikTok.

Indeed, the Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report found that news evasion is at a record high globally, with 40% of respondents saying they sometimes or often avoid the news, up from 29% in 2017 — citing a “negative effect on their mood” and being “worn out by the amount” as top reasons for swerving the headlines.