Serving Youth Communities

Youth communities. The golden ticket. All over the country — and the world — public media newsrooms are trying to figure out how to reach these elusive audiences. Research and articles refer to them as “the next generation.” But they are here and interacting with the news now. As with other niche audiences, public media has a unique opportunity to serve youth communities in the U.S. However, journalists must understand young people’s distinct experiences, perspectives, and expectations to do so effectively. Engaging younger audiences is both a challenge and an opportunity for journalists. Youth communities — including teens and young adults— share many life experiences but have utterly different news habits from other generations, demanding a thoughtful and intentional approach to content and engagement.

Research shows that teens and young adults primarily engage with news through digital platforms, including social media, streaming services, and short-form video content. However, despite high media exposure, they often feel disconnected from traditional news coverage, perceiving it as irrelevant, inaccessible, or untrustworthy. Addressing these gaps is essential to building meaningful engagement with younger audiences.

Obstacles and challenges

There are several key matters that newsroom staff will confront when trying to reach out to youth communities.

Socioeconomic status
According to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data, young adults in the United States are reaching key life milestones later than they did 40 years ago, such as having a full-time job, being financially independent, living on their own, getting married and having a child.

Compared with their parents’ generation, young adults today are more likely to work full time.

While 45% of young adults say they are financially independent from their parents, another 44% say they received financial help from their parents in the past year (2023), according to the Pew Research Center. The top two areas where they got help were household expenses and their cellphone bill or subscriptions to streaming services.

These shifting life milestones present unique challenges for public media outlets striving to engage young audiences. This socioeconomic reality makes it harder for public media to attract younger donors or sustain membership models that depend on voluntary contributions. Additionally, as young audiences primarily consume news through digital and social platforms, public media must adapt their content and distribution strategies to remain relevant while upholding their mission of providing accessible, high-quality journalism.

Trust
Trust in traditional media among young adults has eroded significantly, creating challenges for news organizations striving to maintain credibility. Adults under 30 are now nearly as likely to trust social media (52%) as they are national news organizations (56%), according to the Pew Research Center. In contrast, local news outlets retain comparatively higher trust among young adults, with 71% expressing confidence in their reporting.

This shift in trust comes when overall confidence in the media is at historic lows — nearly 40% of Americans say they have no trust in the press, according to a Gallup poll published in 2024. Among younger audiences, the decline has been particularly stark. Trust in mass media among people aged 18-29 has steadily dropped since 2001, falling from over 50% in the early 2000s to just 26% in 2024, the lowest level among all age groups, says the same poll.

News outlets face increasing pressure as skepticism grows to demonstrate transparency, credibility, and relevance to younger audiences. Without meaningful efforts to rebuild trust, public media stations risk losing further ground to digital platforms that, despite their widespread use, remain equally — if not more — vulnerable to misinformation and credibility concerns.

Bias
While few teens actively seek out news, their concerns about media credibility are clear. A 2024 survey by the News Literacy Project found that 94% of teens believe schools should be required to teach media literacy, highlighting a widespread recognition of the need for critical news consumption skills.

Younger audiences often view truly impartial journalism as an unrealistic ideal, according to a study commissioned by the Reuters Institute. Many teens express some level of trust in news media, yet they also perceive high bias in reporting, according to the findings from the News Literacy Project, which reveal that eight in ten teens believe news organizations are just as biased as — or even more biased than — content produced by independent online creators.

This perception of bias presents a major challenge for public media stations, as it erodes credibility and drives younger audiences toward alternative sources that may lack editorial standards.

Attention spam
Born into the digital age, young audiences are more than just “digital natives” — they are “social media natives,” a term coined by researcher Peter Bea Brandtzæg. Having grown up immersed in social platforms, they seamlessly navigate and engage with these digital spaces as a primary mode of communication, socialization and information consumption.

Their media habits are fluid, often blending activities such as messaging friends, shopping, watching videos, gaming, and catching up on social feeds—sometimes all while listening to a podcast on their phones. While this multitasking ability highlights their adaptability, it also challenges news organizations striving to capture and sustain their attention in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.

Core competencies

There are many ways that public media can serve youth communities. But to do so, your organization should take stock of what you have the bandwidth to do and can sustain. Competencies you should consider central to success include:

Staffing and time
Knowing your staff, the work hours they have available to do the work you envision, and how much time you can intentionally make for them to get initiatives completed.

According to research produced by the Knight Lab at Northwestern Medill University, young audiences want to feel connected to and represented by the people and organizations from which they receive information.

To ensure successful engagement with these communities, build a team that reflects these communities. Although your younger staff might not have extensive experience, trust them and ensure they have decision-making power in the editorial process, not just participation. From deciding which communities to go into to giving your staff the autonomy on how much time they dedicate to them, through selecting the storytelling format, ensure they feel supported. If, for different reasons, you don’t have the capacity to build a culturally related staff, consult with young people and experts from the community to ensure accurate reporting and cultural competency.

Community partners
Many public media newsrooms are partnering with local nonprofits that serve youth communities and co-hosting events and listening sessions to collect insights into coverage needs and interests. Lean on community leaders’ connections and make yourself visible to community partners. Make the events a safe and collaborative process with the communities.

Host inclusive and balanced community gatherings. Review the generation, ethnicity, gender, background, affiliation, location, etc., of people invited to the initiatives. Curate the event environment to make young people comfortable.

Language
To effectively serve young audiences, public media outlets need to consider adapting their tone, style, and storytelling approach to better align with how this generation consumes and engages with news. According to How Young People Consume News and the Implications for Mainstream Media, younger audiences often perceive traditional news as overly serious, institutional, dry, and technical — making it feel distant and unrelatable. Instead, they respond more positively to content that feels human, approachable, and conversational, with authentic voices and diverse perspectives.

This doesn’t mean simplifying complex topics but rather using clear, accessible language that speaks directly to them without being condescending. A conversational, engaging tone and a more relaxed yet credible approach can help build trust and connection.

Additionally, the same report highlights that young audiences favor concise formats, such as short articles and stories that include summaries or bullet points, allowing them to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed.

New types of content and platforms
Public media stations must build competence in the platforms where young communities primarily consume news to engage with them effectively. According to a Pew Research Center study, 91% of adults ages 18 to 29 get news at least sometimes from digital sources, with 78% relying on social media and 74% using search engines. In contrast, only 46% get news from TV, 27% from radio, and just 18% from print. This shift underscores the importance of meeting young audiences where they are — on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, which serve as news sources and leverage algorithms to personalize content and influence news consumption habits.

How young people prefer to access news also highlights the necessity for public media stations to invest in digital strategies. While only 8% of young adults prefer TV, 2% prefer radio, and 3% choose print, a staggering 86% prefer digital platforms, according to the Pew Research Center.

As expected, social media is the leading preference within digital platforms, with 43% of young adults choosing it as their primary way to get news, compared to 19% who prefer news websites and apps, 17% who rely on search, and 6% who turn to podcasts. Public media must recognize these preferences and create optimized content for these platforms, using engaging formats that align with digital consumption habits.

Key tips for reaching Youth audiences

Get to know the community
Talk with local nonprofits and consider partnering with organizations serving young communities, hosting events and listening sessions that address specific issues affecting them. These relationships provide a sounding board for your public media organization to understand how your ideas resonate with young people. Test your content ideas and ask for feedback.

Set objectives
Establishing clear and measurable objectives is crucial in effectively engaging with youth audiences. Begin by identifying what success looks like for your news organization when it comes to serving them. Are you aiming to increase young audiences’ engagement on social media? Do you want to enhance their trust and credibility, or are you focused on growing video views on your platforms? Defining specific outcomes will provide a framework for measuring progress and adjusting your strategy.

Listen
Immerse yourself in the young community, learn from them and listen to internal and external stakeholders. Seek input from young staff members — including interns — local influencers and trusted organizations that serve them. Their insights can help you identify gaps in coverage, uncover potential barriers to engagement, and shape goals that reflect the community’s actual needs. Visit places where young people hang out. Be there for the joy, too! Explain your role and the work you do and ask over and over again: How can we serve you?

Fortify
Build a diverse newsroom staff who can authentically connect with youth perspectives.
Hire young reporters, interns, and contributors to bring fresh perspectives.

Lean on lived experiences and personal stories of your journalists and other subject-matter experts to build deeper connections with young communities. Leverage your own air personalities.

Many young people are skeptical of mainstream media, often due to perceived bias or a lack of transparency. Show behind-the-scenes reporting processes to build credibility and be upfront about sources, funding, and potential conflicts of interest. Openly and consistently communicate your values, mission, and vision to help them understand your motives and editorial decisions.

Develop media mentorship programs that encourage youth participation in journalism. Work with schools and universities to integrate news literacy into curricula.

Establish a youth advisory board to provide feedback on coverage and listen carefully to them! Young people have much to say and are not afraid to say it.

Co-create
Develop collaborative projects where young community members have a key role in the production process, including youth voices in reporting through interviews, guest columns, or user-generated content.

Collaborate with influencers and content creators who have established credibility among young audiences.

Make content relevant and useful to young audiences. Use mobile-friendly formats and prioritize visual storytelling, create engaging short-form content that captures attention quickly and leverage interactive tools such as polls, quizzes, and live Q&A sessions to foster digital engagement.

Experiment with explainer formats to help them digest complex information and explore the possibility of incorporating humor, memes, and culturally relevant references where appropriate.

Ensure headlines and leads are written in clear, concise, and relatable language and include summaries and other strategies mentioned above.

Go back to them and ask for their feedback and collect their opinions on where a story did or did not excel or how it can be improved next time.

Consider offering community members training on journalism to help them understand the process and set them up for success.

Educate yourself
Humbly educate yourself to understand the challenges and strengths young people in your area have experienced. Do research on what stories have been told and learn from previous coverage. Analyze the current narrative and shift it following the advice of young people and influencers.

Dialogue
Keep an open dialogue with your audience and staff. Listen to feedback and make improvements.

Additional Resources

From our stations

Stations have detailed their work around content and audience engagement for youth communities. You are encouraged to learn from their examples and adapt their lessons to your community: