New Research from Sprout Social Finds Social Media is the Top Place Gen Z Turns to for Search, Surpassing Traditional Search Engines

Rhea-AI Summary

New research from Sprout Social (SPT) reveals a significant shift in search behavior, particularly among Gen Z. The study found that 41% of Gen Z prefer social media platforms over traditional search engines (32%) when looking for information. Across all age groups, 37% turn to social first for product reviews, while 76% say social content influenced purchases in the last six months, rising to 90% for Gen Z. The survey of 2,200+ users across US, UK, and Australia shows social media's growing influence on commerce and lifestyle decisions. Facebook (81%), YouTube (71%), and Instagram (66%) remain the top platforms. Users report positive impacts from social media use, with 60% citing improved mental health, 47% better financial decision-making, and 53% enhanced social lives. The trend suggests social media is becoming the new frontier for business discovery and customer engagement.

Positive

• 41% of Gen Z prefer social media for search over traditional search engines, indicating strong platform adoption
• 76% of users report social content influenced purchases in last 6 months (90% for Gen Z)
• 37% of consumers across age groups prefer social first for product reviews
• 60% of users report positive impact on mental health, with higher percentages for younger generations
• 51% of global users plan to increase time on community platforms in next 6 months

Negative

• Traditional search engines showing declining preference among younger users (only 32% for Gen Z)
• Platform dependency varies significantly by age group, suggesting potential limitations in reaching older demographics

• More than 1 in 3 consumers across age groups prefer searching on social platforms first for product reviews and recommendations
• 76% of users say social content influenced a purchase in the last six months, including 90% of Gen Z
• Respondents say social platforms deliver net-positive impacts on their mental health, financial decisions, and social lives
  

CHICAGO, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gen Z isn’t just spending more time on social media; they’re turning to it first when they need answers, which is shaping how they live, learn, and shop. According to new research from Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), an industry-leading provider of cloud-based social media management software, this generation now prefers social media over traditional search engines. This shift is fueled by a growing trust in social, especially among younger generations, who largely report meaningful benefits from their time on social platforms, including improved mental health, financial literacy, and social connections.

Sprout Social’s Q2 2025 Pulse Survey, conducted by Glimpse, surveyed more than 2,200 social users across the US, UK, and Australia. The research finds that when looking for information, 41% of Gen Z turn to social platforms first, making social now the #1 place they search, ahead of traditional search engines (32%), chat-based AI tools (11%), and friends/family (9%). In addition, 37% of consumers across age groups prefer to go to social first when searching for product reviews and recommendations, while 35% prefer to use it first to find local restaurants and activities, underscoring social’s prominent role in discovery and commerce. This discoverability has a real bottom-line impact for businesses, as 76% of respondents say content on social (e.g., ads, influencer posts, brand content) has influenced a purchase in the past six months, with this number rising to 90% among Gen Z and 84% among Millennials.

“Largely driven by Gen Z, social is becoming the new search engine,” said Scott Morris, chief marketing officer of Sprout Social. “This shift is transformative, not just for social media, but for commerce and business overall, because it’s changing how consumers discover products and brands. For marketers, this means making social the front-line channel for building awareness, managing perception, engaging with customers, and receiving feedback. Social is where discovery happens now, making it the future of business.”

The findings shed light on why younger generations are choosing social as their first stop for search: they trust it to deliver not just information, but meaningful, positive experiences. While social media isn’t without its flaws, the survey shows that a vast majority of younger users report positive outcomes from their time on social. This is likely a result of Gen Z and Millennials using social more intentionally–to search, engage, and more actively curate their feeds to reflect their interests and values. The findings show that:

• 60% of all users say social has had a net-positive impact on their mental health in the past six months, v. 18% who say it’s had a negative impact. This number rises to 68% for Millennials and 71% for Gen Z.
• 47% say social has helped improve their financial decision-making, with this number even higher among Millennials (53%) and Gen Z (62%). Only 13% of respondents say it’s had a negative impact.
• 53% report improved social lives through social media engagement, with younger generations (61% for Millennials and 64% for Gen Z) even more likely to view social’s impact as positive. Only 14% of respondents say it’s had a negative impact.
  

Additional findings from Sprout Social’s Q2 2025 Pulse Survey include:

• Facebook (81%), YouTube (71%), and Instagram (66%) remain the top platforms, with YouTube moving up to the second most popular platform since Sprout’s latest Index report
• 51% of global users plan to spend more time on community-based platforms like Reddit in the next six months. This number rises to 63% for Gen Z and Millennials
• Gen Z (52%) and Millennials (53%) are leading the adoption of creator-driven platforms like Substack and Patreon
• The content consumers rely on social media for most is cooking and recipe inspiration (50%), followed by TV/movie recommendations (43%), music discovery (36%), and a wide range of personal interest topics, including sports, beauty, health, news, fashion, and travel.

Learn more about how Sprout Social’s latest customer care updates can empower marketers to provide insights-driven social care, like autonomous AI care agents and new avenues to automate, at every step of the customer journey.

About the Research
This consumer survey was conducted online by Glimpse, a global market research firm, on behalf of Sprout Social. The survey included 2,280 social media users across the US, UK, and Australia and was conducted from April 23 to May 5, 2025.

Social Media Profiles:
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www.instagram.com/sproutsocial

www.x.com/SproutSocial
www.x.com/SproutSocialIR
www.facebook.com/SproutSocialInc

Contact
Kaitlyn Gronek
Email: pr@sproutsocial.com
Phone: (773) 904-9674

About Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a global leader in social media management and analytics software, built on the belief that All Business is Social℠. Sprout’s intuitive platform puts powerful social data into the hands of approximately 30,000 brands so they can deliver smarter, faster business impact. Named the #1 Best Software Product by G2’s 2024 Best Software Award, Sprout offers comprehensive publishing and engagement functionality, customer care, influencer marketing, advocacy, and AI-powered business intelligence. Sprout’s software operates across all major social media networks and digital platforms. For more information about Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), visit sproutsocial.com.

FAQ

What percentage of Gen Z prefers social media over traditional search engines according to Sprout Social's study?

According to the study, 41% of Gen Z turns to social platforms first for search, compared to 32% who prefer traditional search engines.

How has social media content influenced purchase decisions according to SPT's research?

76% of respondents say social content influenced a purchase in the past six months, with this number rising to 90% among Gen Z and 84% among Millennials.

What are the top social media platforms according to Sprout Social's Q2 2025 survey?

Facebook (81%), YouTube (71%), and Instagram (66%) remain the top platforms, with YouTube moving up to second place.

What percentage of users report positive mental health impacts from social media use?

60% of all users report a net-positive impact on their mental health, with higher percentages among Millennials (68%) and Gen Z (71%).

How many consumers prefer social media first for product reviews and recommendations?

37% of consumers across age groups prefer to go to social media first when searching for product reviews and recommendations.