Youth

From Gen Z and beyond, explore emerging markets and micro shifts in youth consumer behaviour.

Trends : Micro Trends

Crowdsourced Companions

By Emily Rhodes and Holly Friend 14 : 12 : 2021 Youth : Media : Digital

Digital apps are reviving physical meetings, helping despondent members of Generation Z to expand their social groups in safe and meaningful ways.

The New Normal: Gun Violence in America:

As gun violence reaches an epic scale, our US foresight analyst Carly Ettinger explores the rise of the gun safety tech market – and...

Gun Safety : US : Security

Emerging Youth: China:

Gen Z are the first generation in China’s history to demand work-life balance, access to global culture through the internet and...

China : Youth : Gen Zalpha

Modern Marriage:

The US wedding industry is aligning with the values of Gen Z and Millennials in relation to key issues of affordability, mental health...

Marriage : Sustainability : Youth

AI Believers:

Navigating the normacrisis era, Gen Z are turning to AI sanctuaries for on-demand, personalised spiritual fulfilment, exploring...

AI : Spirituality : Technology

Racquet Culture Redefined:

From social padel clubs to the rise of tenniscore, racquet sports are being repositioned for new generations.

Sport & Leisure : Wellness : Youth

Audio to Watch:

Moving music to new frontiers, platforms including Spotify, TikTok, Twitch and YouTube have educated consumers into developing a unique...

Music : TikTok : Social Media Platform

Brand Innovation Debrief: Snap’s Retail Play:

Facing stiff competition in the social media market, Snapchat’s developer is bringing its expertise in augmented reality to advertisers,...

Media : Entertainment : Retail

Augmenting Beauty with Generation Z:

Alternating between unapologetic body acceptance and inherited oppressive ideals, Gen Z consumers have grown desensitised to surgical...

Beauty : Ageing : Generation Z

Gen Z and Luxury’s Future: FT Business of Luxury 2023:

The 2023 FT Business of Luxury summit held in Monaco (21–23 May) offered a deep dive into decoding Gen Z consumers and the ensuing...

Luxury : Gen Z : Youth

Emerging Youth: Israel:

Conflict may be shaping the mindsets of young Israelis in a divided country, but community platforms attempt to bring people together in...

Israel : Youth : Youth Market

Third-space Culture:

As founder of Thiiird magazine, Rhona Ezuma is redefining our collective tomorrows by championing next-gen creatives from Black, people...

Style Magazine : Magazine : Magazines

AI Optimism Market:

Pushing back on doom, dive into the AI boom’s potential to make consumers healthier, more productive and equal.

AI : Creativity : Technology

Generative AI Magazines:

Channelling the creative power of artificial intelligence, innovators are producing entire print lifestyle magazines based solely on...

AI : Technology : AI Creativity

Gender Euphoria in VR:

Award-winning director and self-taught game developer Cameron Kostopoulos believes virtual reality can and will be a place for empathy...

Health & Wellness : Society : Media & Entertainment

She is Mother:

Talented women over 60 are finally getting their flowers and making more money than in their 20s in Hollywood, in modelling and on TikTok.

Society : Media & Entertainment : Youth

The Rise of the Expert Influencer:

As users increasingly seek transparency, trust and intention on Instagram, a new wave of influencers are emerging, full of professional...

Retail : Advertising & Branding : Fashion

Quiet Mode:

In a world full of noise, innovative features from tech and social media companies are helping consumers who crave a new kind of quiet.

Youth : Technology : Society

The Overconsumption Mindset:

Dr Daniel Benkendorf, professor of psychology at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, considers why a growing number...

Sustainable Fashion : Climate Change : Global Warming

America Puts the New in Neurodivergence:

As inclusivity is no longer optional, mainstream US businesses are adopting accessibility strategies tailored to the neurodivergent...

Design : Health & Wellness : Youth

Spiritual Cosplay:

Gen Z’s appetite for mysticism has infused the fashion world, drawing on pseudo-spirituality and the cohort’s desire for escapism.

Youth : Fashion : Society

Kidswear Market:

Following in the global fashion market’s footsteps, the children’s section is becoming more agile and eco-conscious.

Fashion : Youth : Retail

In our Body Hostility Era:

After a decade of dieting rebranded as wellness and a Western awakening to inclusivity and representation of marginalised groups in the...

Youth : Body Positive : Dieting

Video Dating Futures:

As users demand more authenticity when seeking romantic connections, dating apps are pivoting towards video-first formats.

Youth : Media & Entertainment : Technology

Women Without Kids:

Author, feminist and founder of the sober-curious movement Ruby Warrington chats to Martin Raymond about why women without children...

Society : Health & Wellness : Youth

Black Art Matters in Web3:

British artist Nubianizm explains how a new generation of Black visual artists find solace, community and compensation on the blockchain.

NFT : NFTs : Web3

COMING SOON: Communities Futures:

As generations entwine and age-dominated attitudes collapse and merge, we look at the trends defining and driving different...

Reports : Events

Yassified Marketing:

Appropriated by all corners of the internet, African American Vernacular English could simultaneously sell authenticity and empower...

Advertising & Branding : Media And Entertainment : Society

Emerging Youth: Japan:

Unlike their peers in the US or Europe, Japanese youngsters are quietly rebelling amid political unrest and social fragmentation.

Youth : Fashion : Society

Danse Macabre:

Taking dark humour to the next level, Gen Z are using death as a day-to-day source of cringe comedy – but also relatability.

Youth : Media & Entertainment : Society

Not Your Parents’ Car:

Targeting the so-called car-averse Gen Z, the automotive sector is using innovative design and technology to forge new connections with...

Mobility : Youth : Sustainability

Five Brands Rejuvenating Whisky:

Meet the whisky-makers who are challenging the sector’s heritage with unconventional branding and marketing to reach younger drinkers...

Drink : Advertising & Branding : Youth

Heating up Luxury Fashion for Gen Z:

Heat co-founders Mario Maher and Joe Wilkinson explain how their mystery box concept taps into Gen Z mindsets, while offering a new way...

Luxury : Fashion : Youth

Four Tween Skincare Brands Prioritising Self-Care:

Skincare brands have refocused their attention on Gen Alpha, releasing tween skincare lines that are gentle on skin and educate on...

Youth : Health & Wellness : Beauty

Anti-Provocation Platforms:

Consumers burnt out on traditional social media spaces are being offered new platforms that build common good values into their...

Technology : Media & Entertainment : Youth

Collegiate Nostalgia:

Collegiate-inspired fashion and entertainment is soothing Gen Zers who feel their youth was stolen by the pandemic.

Youth : Media & Entertainment : Fashion

Next-level Hedonism:

Following years of pandemic-related social restrictions, consumers in the US in particular are prioritising pleasure – and indulging in...

Youth : Hospitality : Fashion

Family in 2050:

By 2050, artificial wombs could be the preferred method of reproduction. Speculative artist Lisa Mandemaker discusses this progressive...

Health : Wellness : Technology

Future Forecast 2023: Youth:

From youth culture’s flat age future to wise-beyond-their-years Zalphas, we select five key directions in youth culture for 2023.

Youth : Media & Entertainment : Society

Gen Z Digital Wellness Market:

Digitally native Generation Z go online to learn, play, socialise, but also to heal and open up, and this is giving rise to platforms...

Youth : Wellness : Mental Health

Teen Fashion Market:

Brands are re-imagining teen fashion with engaging activations spanning physical retail and the metaverse as the sector undergoes a...

Youth : Fashion : Retail

Five Apps Introducing the Next Generation of Dating:

Dating apps are evolving beyond the swipe, with new entries looking to align more closely with Gen Z’s relationship priorities and...

Youth : Media & Entertainment : Technology

Gen Z are waking up the Energy Category:

New York-based entrepreneur Jonah Reider is taking on the energy drinks market with an innovative on-the-go energy mist targeting the...

Youth : Wellness : Drinks

Emerging Youth: The Philippines:

A locally aware and globally minded Filipino youth culture is emerging and ready to lead the country into the future.

Youth : Technology : Web3

Sports Rebranded:

Sporting bodies and brands are cementing appeal among Gen Z with rebranding campaigns that celebrate inclusivity and the joy of...

Youth : Sports & Leisure : Branding

How Learning Spaces are Evolving for Gen Zalpha:

Aligning with changing youth ideals and shifting global forces, educational spaces are evolving to inspire young people to take charge...

Youth : Society : Education

Why the Lingerie Sector must Evolve for Gen Z:

Once considered aspirational, sculpted bodies clad in skimpy lingerie no longer cut it for Generation Z. How can brands shift the...

Lingerie : Underwear : Generation Z

Youth Culture is entering its Flat Age Future:

TikTok trends were once thought of as the epitome of youth culture. Now, senior creators and retirement hobbies are blurring the lines...

Social Media : Youth : TikTok

Gamer Wellness Market:

As esports’ influence continues to challenge that of traditional sports, lifestyle brands are helping gamers to level up their physical...

Health & Wellness : Gaming : Sport

Why Brands are Next-Gen Career Advisers:

A new wave of workplace advisers are emerging to help Gen Z and Alpha navigate and shape the future of work and yet-to-exist job roles.

Youth : Media & Entertainment : Workplace

Why Africa is the next hub for youth retail:

What does it mean to be young and African today? The co-founder of modern African lifestyle platform Dola, Yannick Do, unpacks the vast...

Youth : Media & Entertainment : Lifestyle

How to remix the wellness model for Gen Z:

Stephen Mai, the founder of Woo, a next-gen media brand merging content and retail, on how wellness can be reframed as feel-good culture.

Health : Wellness : Media

Gen Z Parenting Market:

No longer the epitome of youth culture, members of Generation Z are having kids of their own, driving the parenting sector in unexpected...

Gen Z : Fashion : Youth

Five Generation Z-Founded Brands to Watch:

Optimistic, ambitious and socially switched on, the first wave of Generation Z-founded brands are hitting the market. These are the...

Youth : Retail : Beauty

How Alinea is powering an investment youthquake:

The Generation Z CEOs of investment app Alinea explain how they are making finance accessible and responsible for young women, from...

Finance : Media & Entertainment : Youth

Generation Z Luxury Market:

Rigorous and savvy in their selection of brands, Generation Z’s research-led approach to luxury is set to redefine value and aspiration...

Luxury : Youth : Fashion

Are we heading for a post-demographic future?:

Generational terms such as Baby Boomer and Millennial have shaped the way we conduct research. But are they helping to predict the...

Youth : Marketing : Generation Z

Social Learning Networks:

The edtech industry in Latin America is evolving away from academic structures to align with modern students’ preferred UX interfaces:...

Youth : Education : Technology

Gen Zalpha India Market:

Amid India’s pandemic recovery, Gen Zalpha are navigating their journey to adolescence by building their own models of progress.

Youth : Education : Sustainability

Wild Awake signals a future of Earth-centric learning:

Offering immersive outdoor education for young people, Wild Awake wants to nurture a generation of learning focused on humans’...

Youth : Education : Sustainability

Pliable Playscapes:

Inspired by Generation Zalpha’s productivity, an energetic and assertive visual language is emerging that reflects their can-do attitude...

Youth : Branding : Media

Confessional Clubs:

Generation Z are turning from identity-driven social media platforms to safe, anonymous and judgement-free spaces that are rooted in...

Youth : Social Media : Society

Crowdsourced Companions:

Digital apps are reviving physical meetings, helping despondent members of Generation Z to expand their social groups in safe and...

Youth : Media : Digital

Welcome to the post-social era:

With the advent of Web 3.0, scrolling through major social media platforms will be usurped by small-scale decentralised social networks...

Social Media : Web 0.3 : Influencers

Provocation Platforms:

A societal resilience has led people to step out of their comfort zones in favour of dissenting perspectives. Now, this search for...

Social Media : Media & Entertainment : Technology

The Zalpha Reckoning:

A hybrid generation of Zalphas are entering brands’ consciousness. Wise beyond their years, these products of climate change are using...

Youth : Media : Technology

Gen Z are shaking up the elitist art world:

The art world is on the cusp of major change. Here’s how Paul Hill, the 22-year-old founder of Strada, is empowering the next generation...

Youth : Luxury : Art

Play-tail:

Retailers are targeting families with interiors dedicated to children’s play and engagement that help to ease shopper pain points and...

Retail : Architecture : Design

Education in 2030: Neo-Knowledge Exchanges:

With hyper-connected living and longer lifespans questioning the relevance of traditional schooling, we look forward to 2030 when...

Youth : Education : Scenario

Emerging Youth: Saudi Arabia:

Driving a shift from collectivism to individuality, young Saudis are at the forefront of their country’s major sociocultural, economic...

Youth : Society : Fashion

Emerging Youth: AfroLATAM:

Despite historical socio-economic disadvantages, Black Latin Americans are making themselves heard through a unique sense of unity and...

Youth : Media : Workplace

Next-generation Watch Market:

An industry long steeped in traditional values, the luxury watch sector is undergoing a transformation in an attempt to woo a new...

Luxury : Watches : Retail

Emerging Youth: Poland:

Despite living under an ultra-conservative government, Polish youth are gaining the strength to fight for feminist and LGBTQ+ rights by...

Youth : Nightlife : Activism

The workplace of 2030 will be Web 3.0:

Tina He and Mind Apivessa, co-founders of Station, are empowering and upskilling regular internet users into the Web 3.0 workforce of...

Youth : Media : Technology

Curator Kids:

As young people navigate an age of information overload, they are revolting against the relentless creation of content – and choosing to...

Youth : Media : Alternet Economies

Five ways motorcycles are bridging youth culture:

The motorcycle sector is finding new relevance with younger, lifestyle-driven audiences by fostering brand-led connections focused on...

Mobility : Youth : Fashion

The Gen Z messaging apps of tomorrow:

Forget Snapchat and WhatsApp. Today’s youth are taking it upon themselves to create fluid social apps that nurture their multimedia...

Youth : Media : Gen Z

Five brands reframing nootropics for Generation Z:

Exploring a breadth of natural brain-boosting ingredients, a raft of new brands are creating products tailored to the needs, concerns...

Drinks : Youth : Health And Wellness

How resell culture will define Gen Z banking:

Geri Cupi, CEO and founder of fintech disruptor Twig, discusses how the circular economy will transform young people’s perception of wealth.

Finance : Gen Z : Retail

Gen Z Hangout Market:

Young people are breaking free from their lockdown cocoons, countering a year of isolation and under-stimulation with immersive,...

Youth : Gen Z : Generation Z

Out-of-work Networks:

As young people face the brunt of an unemployment epidemic, the solo activity of job-hunting is being transformed into a...

Youth : Workplace : Technology

Five influencers driving an everyteen revolution:

The Generation Z creators and entrepreneurs who thrived during the pandemic by speaking to, spotlighting and disrupting the realities of...

Youth : Media : Social Media

Generation Z are ready to reboot dating:

Marc Baghadjian, co-founder of Gen Z dating app Lolly, on how post-pandemic connections will be defined by video crushes and...

Youth : Dating : Social Media

Gen Z audiences are rewriting entertainment:

Aron Levitz, head of Wattpad Studios, explains how the storytelling app is creating an entertainment universe powered by data, fandom...

Youth : Media : Entertainment

The future according to: Azeema magazine:

From creating a magazine for MENASA womxn to offering agency services, Azeema’s founders discuss the necessity of accurate media...

Youth : Media : Advertising

Teen Ad-tivism:

In a grand subversion of marketing, youth collectives and brands are using satire and brandstanding to distance themselves from...

Youth : Marketing : Technology

Radical Relief:

With chronic conditions rising and support systems failing for young people, digital communities are filling the gaps left by healthcare.

Youth : Health : Wellness

Five evolutions of the future nightclub:

With nightlife at risk, these young innovators are optimising a time of uncertainty by forming virtual allegiances and care collectives.

Youth : Nightlife : Leisure

Emerging Youth: Canada:

With little desire to return to normality, Canadian youth are seizing their own futures through upskilling, community healing and...

Canada : Youth : Society

Reformation Generation:

Marking a new era of collaboration between brands and Generation Z, opportunities are arising to re-assemble, decentralise and...

Youth : Media : Technology

The youth voices of Intersectional Environmentalism:

With one-size-fits-all sustainability goals excluding people of colour, Gen Z are combining social justice with environmental activism.

Youth : Sustainability : Intersectionality

Asian youth’s sonic renaissance:

Eastern Margins founder Lumi and creative director Adanko discuss how music can be used as a tool for resistance among the East and...

Youth : Music : Nightlife

Scattered Schools:

With remote studying the new norm, school is becoming something that is no longer a physical space but a dispersed learning experience.

Youth : Generation Z : Travel

How beauty is being refined for Generation Z:

New brands are targeting teens by re-inventing coming-of-age skincare rituals for a more pragmatic – but still visual-first – generation.

Youth : Beauty : Skincare

Emerging Youth: China:

Showing their post-pandemic resilience, young Chinese are fusing highly disparate worlds: cloud raves, pastoral living and nostalgic...

Youth : Generation Z : China

Gen Z Perspectives: US:

Yale graduate Tarek Ziad unpacks the phenomenon of cottagecore and what’s driving Generation Z’s whimsical fascination with rural living.

Youth : Workplace : Digital

Alumni Incubators:

As Covid-19 risks stunting Generation Z’s career prospects, brands are stepping in to nurture the next generation of talent.

Youth : Workplace : Fashion

Money Market: Gen Alpha:

With Generation Alpha largely viewing money as a digital concept, brands’ financial education is moving into playful, digital and...

Youth : Society : FinTech

It’s time to decolonise education, say Gen Z:

Galvanised by the Black Lives Matter movement, Generation Z are using social media to (un)learn behaviours and catalyse decolonised...

Youth : Education : BLM

How Gen Z are reshaping the offline world:

Young people have fashioned the digital world. Wilson Oryema, co-founder of Regenerative Futures, believes it’s time they revive offline...

Youth : Sustainability : Civic Brands

Gen Z Perspectives: India:

In collaboration with 31st State, our new series unearths global insights on the biggest mindset shifts among Generation Z.

Youth : Mental Health : Health

Squadded recreates the mall effect online:

Elysa Kahn, co-founder of Squadded, highlights the potential for the new social e-commerce solution and the difference between shopping...

Retail : Fashion : E-commerce

Edu-play-tion:

With parents of Generation Alpha now home educators, brands are elevating playtime with tools that combine digital and analogue learning.

Youth : Technology : Gen Alpha

Why Generation Z are creating activist-tainment:

Tamseel Hussain, founder of Pluc TV, on how a ‘generation of misfits’ is driving more purposeful social media storytelling for India and...

Youth : Media : Entertainment

Rebranding recruitment for Generation Z:

Workplaces and education institutions are firing up their recruitment campaigns to focus on empathy, purpose and Gen Viz aesthetics.

Youth : Media : Workplace

Radical healing is the future of nightlife:

Aisha Mirza, the founder of sober club night Misery, explains why embedding therapy into the night-time economy is empowering...

Youth : LGBT : Nightlife

To understand TikTok, act like one of its locals:

With 60% of its users under the age of 24, brands wanting to reach this creative generation must take time to understand the nuances of...

Youth : Advertising : Social Media

The emerging youth zines causing media anarchy:

Zines are becoming the platform of choice for youth in Malaysia, South Africa, China and Brazil to express alternative views away from...

Youth : Media : Generation Z

TikTok is the future of global marketing:

Influencer marketing expert Alessandro Bogliari examines how TikTok can be used for self-expression, values-based marketing and...

Youth : Media : Technology

How brands can reach The Next Billion Users:

Digital anthropologist Payal Arora explains why the online behaviour of people in China, India, Africa and across the...

Technology : India : Internet

Emerging Youth: Vietnam:

With more young people living in Vietnam than ever before, this generation are using the country as a canvas on which to project...

Vietnam : Youth : Emerging Youth

Related to Youth

News

The Birkenstock and Tekla collection is a homebody heaven

German footwear brand Birkenstock is teaming up with Tekla, a Danish lifestyle label best known for its bed linen, blankets and cotton pyjamas, for a collaboration placed under the sign of comfort.

Fashion : Home : Health&wellness

News

Beauty brand elf champions individuality in new campaign

Generation Z are known to be individualistic, and elf got the memo. In a creative campaign, the brand invites viewers to re-imagine the acronym.

Beauty : Advertising & Branding : Youth

News

Stat: Gen Z’s main career aspiration is to be an influencer

According to a report published by decision intelligence company Morning Consult in September 2023, 57% of Gen Z, and 41% of all surveyed adults, said they would become an influencer, given the opportunity.

Youth : Media & Entertainment : Workplace

Futures 100

Futures 100 Innovators : September

In the final longlist of our 2023 Futures 100 Innovators, we reveal The Future Laboratory’s chosen innovators and change-makers who are set to disrupt the lifestyle categories in 2023 and beyond.

Futures 100 Innovators

News

Stat: American Gen Z prefer lip gloss and lip care to outdated lipsticks

Released in August 2023, consumer insights firm Circana’s US report on beauty trends in 2023 suggests that Gen Z could be the downfall of the lipstick business.

Youth : Beauty : Society

News

Instagram’s Eva Chen designs sustainable kidswear for H&M

Author, journalist and director of fashion partnerships at Instagram, Eva Chen, has partnered with H&M on a sustainable children’s clothing line.

Fashion : Sustainability : Youth

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