The end of family viewing? Young prefer YouTube to TV with parents

SETTLING down on the sofas to watch a primetime drama or classic movie with the family has been a cherished British tradition for decades.

But such happy nights in are becoming a thing of the past as the young increasingly look at videos on their phones rather than television with their parents.

According to researchers, there has been a 30 per cent decline in 16 to 34-year- olds watching TV shows in the company of over-55s in the past decade.

It comes as youngsters use social media services such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram to watch large amounts of video content.

Media experts Enders Analysis also revealed there had been a 25 per cent fall in the number of shows that are popular with ‘ both demographics’ in five years.

Their report said despite ‘the explosion in volume and access to content’, the viewing of proper TV shows was ‘narrowing around fewer programmes’, adding: ‘At the same time, younger viewers are watching a greater proportion of video alone, resulting in a growing schism between what is watched by young and older viewers.’

The report added that the content available to the average person had increased 12fold between 2014 to 2023. For 16 to 34-year-olds, traditional linear TV is the most likely category to be watched with company – but is also in the fastest decline.

The report said: ‘ Over the past decade the amount of viewing of long-form content by 16-34s with someone aged 55-plus has declined by around 30 per cent – which although in real terms may only be a loss of five minutes a day, works out as one fewer TV episode shared inter-generationally per person, per week.

‘The choice of these two demographics is somewhat arbitrary, but displays how video becoming an increasingly solo activity can affect the shared experiences of those in different demographics.’