Short-form Video Statistics 2026: Usage, YouTube Shorts, TikTok and ROI
Short-form video is close to universal in the US. 95% of consumers watch it regularly and about two in three of all consumers watch every day, according to a Clutch survey from October 2025. YouTube Shorts was the most watched platform, used by 61%, ahead of Instagram Reels (53%) and TikTok (43%). YouTube says Shorts averaged over 200 billion daily views in 2025, about 2.9 times its March 2024 level. TikTok is where use is most intense. 21% of US teens were on it almost constantly in 2025, up from 16% in 2022, according to Pew Research Center.
Key statistics
- US consumers who watch short-form video regularly made up 95% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Clutch.
- US consumers who watch short-form video at least daily made up about 67% of all those surveyed in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Clutch data.
- YouTube Shorts averaged over 200 billion daily views worldwide in 2025, according to YouTube.
- US teens who use TikTok almost constantly made up 21% of teens aged 13 to 17 in 2025, up from 16% in 2022, according to Pew Research Center.
- US consumers who have bought a product after watching a brand's short-form video made up 42% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Clutch.
Short-form video statistics 2026
There is no official count of short-form video viewers. The best current picture comes from two kinds of data. Consumer surveys show how many people watch. Platform figures show how much they watch.
Clutch found that 95% of the 483 US consumers it surveyed in October 2025 watch short-form video regularly, and 71% of those watch at least daily. Across the whole sample that is about 67% of consumers watching every day, by our calculation. Most viewing is light. 66% spend 45 minutes a day or less on it, and 67% watch mainly during downtime at home.
The platform numbers are much larger. YouTube says Shorts averaged over 200 billion views a day in 2025. That works out to about 73 trillion views a year. YouTube does not say how it counts a Shorts view, so the figure cannot be compared directly with TikTok or Instagram, which do not publish an equivalent.
Pew Research Center's probability surveys give the most reliable view of reach. 37% of US adults used TikTok in 2025, and 24% used it daily. YouTube reached 84% of adults, but Pew does not split Shorts from long videos. For the wider ad market these platforms sell into, see our digital advertising statistics.
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US consumers who watch short-form video regularly made up 95% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Clutch.
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Short-form video viewers who watch at least daily made up 71% of US short-form viewers in 2025, according to Clutch.
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US consumers who watch short-form video at least daily made up about 67% of all those surveyed in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Clutch data.
How we calculated it: 95% watch short-form video regularly x 71% of those watch at least daily = 67.45%, rounded to 67%. Clutch, 483 US consumers, October 2025.
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US consumers who spend 45 minutes or less a day on short-form video made up 66% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Clutch.
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YouTube Shorts averaged over 200 billion daily views worldwide in 2025, according to YouTube.
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YouTube Shorts views ran at about 73 trillion a year in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from YouTube data.
How we calculated it: 200 billion average daily views x 365 days = 73 trillion views a year. A lower bound, since YouTube says over 200 billion.
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US adults who use TikTok made up 37% of adults in 2025, up from 21% in 2021, according to Pew Research Center.
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US adults who use TikTok daily made up 24% of adults in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
| Measure | Value | Scope | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumers who watch short-form video regularly | 95% | US consumers, October 2025 | Clutch |
| Consumers who watch at least daily (our calculation) | 67% | US consumers, October 2025 | Clutch |
| Consumers who watch 45 minutes a day or less | 66% | US consumers, October 2025 | Clutch |
| YouTube Shorts average daily views | 200 billion+ | Worldwide, June 2025 | YouTube |
| Adults who use TikTok | 37% | US adults, February to June 2025 | Pew Research Center |
| Adults who use TikTok daily | 24% | US adults, February to March 2025 | Pew Research Center |
Short-form video usage by platform
Ask US consumers which short-form apps they watch and YouTube Shorts comes first. Ask how intensely they use each app and TikTok comes first. Both results hold at once.
YouTube Shorts reached 61% of US consumers in Clutch's survey, against 53% for Instagram Reels and 43% for TikTok. By our calculation Shorts reached 1.4 times as many people as TikTok. Shorts benefits from sitting inside YouTube, which 84% of US adults use, according to Pew. Instagram reaches 50% of adults.
Clutch's sample leans older. 56% of its respondents were 45 or over, an age group where TikTok use is lower. Among teens the order changes. 61% of US teens use TikTok every day, compared with 55% for Instagram and 46% for Snapchat, according to Pew. Pew puts YouTube daily use at roughly three in four teens.
Source: Clutch, 483 US consumers.
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YouTube Shorts was watched regularly by 61% of US consumers in 2025, the most of any short-form platform, according to Clutch.
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Instagram Reels was watched regularly by 53% of US consumers in 2025, according to Clutch.
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TikTok was watched regularly by 43% of US consumers in 2025, according to Clutch.
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YouTube Shorts reached 1.4 times as many US consumers as TikTok in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Clutch data.
How we calculated it: YouTube Shorts 61% / TikTok 43% = 1.42, rounded to 1.4. The gap is 18 percentage points. Clutch, 483 US consumers, October 2025.
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US adults who use YouTube made up 84% of adults in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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US adults who use Instagram made up 50% of adults in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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US teens who use TikTok every day made up 61% of teens aged 13 to 17 in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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US teens who use Instagram every day made up 55% of teens aged 13 to 17 in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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US teens who use Snapchat every day made up 46% of teens aged 13 to 17 in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
| Platform | Watch regularly |
|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts | 61% |
| Instagram Reels | 53% |
| TikTok | 43% |
YouTube Shorts statistics
YouTube is the only major platform that publishes a regular headline number for its short-form feed. The figures are company claims, stated as round lower bounds.
YouTube said Shorts averaged over 70 billion daily views in March 2024. By June 2025 it said over 200 billion. That is about 2.9 times as many in 15 months, by our calculation. YouTube repeated the 200 billion figure in its January 2026 CEO letter and on its press page, and has not published a newer one.
Growth has moved into new short formats. YouTube says microdramas, short serialised stories, passed 6.5 billion views in the first half of 2026, with watch time up over 50% year on year. It has added Shorts series so creators can group clips into seasons and episodes.
YouTube says it paid over $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies in the four years to January 2026. That covers all formats. The figure does not split out Shorts.
Source: YouTube blog. Both figures are stated as "over".
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YouTube Shorts averaged over 200 billion daily views worldwide in 2025, according to YouTube.
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YouTube Shorts averaged over 70 billion daily views worldwide in 2024, according to YouTube.
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Average daily YouTube Shorts views grew about 2.9 times between March 2024 and June 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from YouTube data.
How we calculated it: Over 200 billion daily views (18 June 2025) / over 70 billion daily views (28 March 2024) = 2.86, rounded to 2.9. Both are lower bounds stated by YouTube, about 15 months apart.
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YouTube Shorts views ran at about 73 trillion a year in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from YouTube data.
How we calculated it: 200 billion average daily views x 365 days = 73 trillion views a year. A lower bound, since YouTube says over 200 billion.
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YouTube received over 20 million video uploads a day on average in 2026, according to YouTube.
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Microdramas on YouTube passed 6.5 billion views worldwide in the first half of 2026, according to YouTube.
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Watch time of microdramas on YouTube grew by over 50% year on year worldwide in the first half of 2026, according to YouTube.
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YouTube paid over $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies in the four years to 2025, according to YouTube.
| Figure | Value | Date stated |
|---|---|---|
| Shorts average daily views | 70 billion+ | 28 March 2024 |
| Shorts average daily views | 200 billion+ | 18 June 2025 |
| Growth in daily views (our calculation) | 2.9x | March 2024 to June 2025 |
| Microdrama views, first half of 2026 | 6.5 billion+ | 23 September 2026 |
| Microdrama watch time growth, year on year | 50%+ | 23 September 2026 |
| Videos uploaded to YouTube per day, all formats | 20 million+ | Press page, undated, read 31 October 2026 |
TikTok vs Reels vs Shorts
TikTok has a smaller audience than YouTube but holds it more tightly. Pew's surveys show its reach still growing among adults and its use deepening among teens.
21% of US teens were on TikTok almost constantly in 2025, up from 16% in 2022. That is a rise of about 31%, by our calculation. Pew says the shares for YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook changed little over the same period. Instagram's almost-constant share was 12%. Among teens who use TikTok, about 31% are on it almost constantly. Girls (24%) were more likely than boys (17%) to say so.
Among adults, TikTok use rose from 21% in 2021 to 37% in 2025, a 76% increase. It was flat at 33% in 2023 and 2024 before that last rise. Age is the biggest divide. 63% of adults under 30 use TikTok, 5.3 times the 12% of those 65 and older.
TikTok has also become a news source. 20% of US adults regularly got news there in 2026, 6.7 times the 3% of 2020. Growth has stalled, though. The all-adult share was unchanged on 2025, and among adults under 30 it fell 4 points to 39%, the first fall in Pew's series. Posting is concentrated. In Pew's 2023 study the most active 25% of adult users made 98% of public videos.
TikTok publishes no audited US usage figures, and Meta does not publish Reels figures on a regular schedule. That is why this comparison rests on Clutch and Pew surveys rather than platform data.
- All adults
- Ages 18 to 29
Source: Pew Research Center American Trends Panel.
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US teens who use TikTok almost constantly made up 21% of teens aged 13 to 17 in 2025, up from 16% in 2022, according to Pew Research Center.
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The share of US teens on TikTok almost constantly rose about 31% between 2022 and 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: (21% in 2025 - 16% in 2022) / 16% = 31.25%, rounded to 31%. A rise of 5 percentage points. Pew Research Center teen surveys.
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US teens who use TikTok made up 68% of teens aged 13 to 17 in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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About 31% of US teen TikTok users were on the app almost constantly in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 21% of all teens use TikTok almost constantly / 68% of all teens use TikTok = 30.9%, rounded to 31%. Both figures from the same Pew survey of 1,458 teens, September to October 2025.
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US teen girls who use TikTok almost constantly made up 24% of girls aged 13 to 17 in 2025, against 17% of boys, according to Pew Research Center.
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US teens who use Instagram almost constantly made up 12% of teens aged 13 to 17 in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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US teens who use at least one of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook almost constantly made up 36% of teens in 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
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The share of US adults using TikTok rose 76% between 2021 and 2025, from 21% to 37%, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: (37% in 2025 - 21% in 2021) / 21% = 76.2%, rounded to 76%. A rise of 16 percentage points. Pew Research Center NPORS surveys.
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US adults under 30 who use TikTok made up 63% of that age group in 2025, against 12% of adults 65 and older, according to Pew Research Center.
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US adults under 30 were 5.3 times as likely as adults 65 and older to use TikTok in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 63% of adults aged 18 to 29 / 12% of adults 65 and older = 5.25, rounded to 5.3. Pew Research Center, 5,022 US adults, February to June 2025.
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US adults who regularly get news on TikTok made up 20% of adults in 2026, unchanged from 2025 and up from 3% in 2020, according to Pew Research Center.
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US adults aged 18 to 29 who regularly get news on TikTok made up 39% of that age group in 2026, according to Pew Research Center.
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Regular TikTok news use among US adults under 30 fell 4 percentage points between 2025 and 2026, the first fall since 2020, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 39% in 2026 - 43% in 2025 = -4 points. The series for ages 18 to 29 rose every year from 9% in 2020 to 43% in 2025. Pew Research Center.
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US adult TikTok users who regularly get news there made up 53% of users in 2026, up from 22% in 2020, according to Pew Research Center.
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The share of US adults who regularly get news on TikTok grew 6.7 times between 2020 and 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Pew Research Center data.
How we calculated it: 20% in 2026 / 3% in 2020 = 6.67, rounded to 6.7. Pew Research Center American Trends Panel news surveys, 2020 to 2026.
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The most active 25% of US adult TikTok users posted 98% of publicly accessible videos in 2023, according to Pew Research Center.
| Year | All adults | Ages 18 to 29 | Ages 30 to 49 | Ages 50 to 64 | Ages 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3% | 9% | 2% | 1% | Under 1% |
| 2021 | 6% | 18% | 6% | 3% | 1% |
| 2022 | 10% | 26% | 10% | 4% | 1% |
| 2023 | 14% | 32% | 15% | 7% | 3% |
| 2024 | 17% | 39% | 19% | 9% | 3% |
| 2025 | 20% | 43% | 25% | 10% | 3% |
| 2026 | 20% | 39% | 25% | 11% | 4% |
Short-form video engagement and attention
Most people watch short-form video. Few give it their full attention. Clutch's survey shows how small the window is for a brand to land a message.
Only 9% of US consumers in Clutch's survey said they give short-form video their full attention. 88% said a video has to grab them within 30 seconds. 55% stop scrolling for humour or a strong opening hook, and 80% pay more attention when a video speaks to them directly.
Style matters as much as length. 44% prefer casual clips from creators with no brand link over polished brand videos. Wyzowl's late-2025 survey points the same way on length. 71% of its respondents think videos of 30 seconds to 2 minutes work best, and 63% would most like a short video to learn about a product.
Source: Clutch, 483 US consumers.
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Only 9% of US consumers gave short-form video their full attention while watching in 2025, according to Clutch.
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US consumers who say a video must grab them within 30 seconds made up 88% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Clutch.
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US consumers who stop scrolling for humour or a strong hook made up 55% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Clutch.
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US consumers who pay more attention when a video speaks to them directly made up 80% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Clutch.
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US consumers who prefer casual, creator-led clips over polished brand videos made up 44% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Clutch.
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Respondents who think videos of 30 seconds to 2 minutes work best made up 71% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Wyzowl.
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People who would most like a short video to learn about a product made up 63% of respondents in 2025, according to Wyzowl.
| Finding | Share of consumers |
|---|---|
| Say a video must grab them within 30 seconds | 88% |
| Pay more attention when spoken to directly | 80% |
| Stop scrolling for humour or a strong hook | 55% |
| Prefer casual creator clips to polished brand videos | 44% |
| Give short-form video their full attention | 9% |
Short-form video marketing ROI
Marketers still report strong returns from video, but fewer than a year earlier. Consumer data suggests short-form video moves people from watching to buying more often than many expect.
42% of US consumers in Clutch's survey said they had bought a product after watching a brand's short-form video. 55% had interacted with a brand, and 64% would follow a brand whose video entertained them. The effect is not even. 45% of Gen Z respondents said they had not even considered buying after a brand video.
82% of marketers in Wyzowl's late-2025 survey said video gave them a good return, down 11 points from 93% the year before. YouTube was the most used platform at 82% of video marketers, 42 points ahead of TikTok at 40%. Only 29% rated TikTok effective, against 69% for YouTube. For how marketers are using AI in video and other content, see our AI marketing statistics.
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US consumers who have bought a product after watching a brand's short-form video made up 42% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Clutch.
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US consumers who have interacted with a brand after its short-form video caught their attention made up 55% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Clutch.
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US consumers who would follow or subscribe to a brand whose video entertains them made up 64% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Clutch.
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Gen Z respondents who had not considered buying after a brand's short-form video made up 45% of that group in 2025, according to Clutch.
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Marketers who say video has given them a good return on investment made up 82% of those surveyed in 2025, down from 93% a year earlier, according to Wyzowl.
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Marketers reporting a good return on video fell 11 percentage points in a year to 82% in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Wyzowl data.
How we calculated it: 82% in the late-2025 survey - 93% in the previous survey = -11 points. Wyzowl, 266 respondents in late 2025.
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Video marketers who publish on YouTube made up 82% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Wyzowl.
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Video marketers who publish on Instagram made up 69% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Wyzowl.
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Video marketers who publish on TikTok made up 40% of those surveyed in 2025, according to Wyzowl.
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TikTok trailed YouTube by 42 percentage points among video marketers in 2025, 40% against 82%, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Wyzowl data.
How we calculated it: YouTube 82% - TikTok 40% = 42 points. Wyzowl, 266 respondents in late 2025.
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Video marketers who rate TikTok as effective made up 29% of those surveyed in 2025, against 69% for YouTube, according to Wyzowl.
| Platform | Marketers using it | Rate it effective |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 82% | 69% |
| 69% | 56% | |
| TikTok | 40% | 29% |
How the sources measure short-form video
No official body defines short-form video or counts its viewers. Every figure on this page is either a survey answer or a number a platform chose to publish. The two kinds should not be mixed.
Pew is the strongest source here. It uses probability-based panels weighted to the US population, and it repeats the same questions each year. But it asks about whole apps. It cannot say how much of someone's YouTube or Instagram time goes to Shorts or Reels.
Clutch and Wyzowl ask about short-form video directly, but with small samples. Clutch surveyed 483 people and does not state its method. Wyzowl surveyed 266 and does not say how many were marketers. Treat their percentages as indications, with a margin of several points either way.
YouTube's view counts are its own. It does not publish how long a Shorts view must last or the period behind its daily average. TikTok and Meta publish no regular figures on the same basis. Shorts also play on TV screens, a trend covered in our TV advertising statistics.
| Source | What it measures | Sample and period | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pew Research Center | Self-reported platform use and news habits | Probability panels of 1,458 US teens (Sep to Oct 2025) and 5,000+ US adults (2025 and Aug 2026) | Measures whole apps, not short-form feeds |
| Clutch | Self-reported short-form viewing, attention and buying | 483 US consumers, October 2025 | Small sample, 56% aged 45+, method not stated |
| YouTube | Company-reported Shorts views and uploads | Worldwide, figures dated 2024 to 2026 | View definition and period not published |
| Wyzowl | Marketer and consumer views on video | 266 respondents, late 2025 | Small sample, respondent mix not stated |
Frequently asked questions
How many people watch short-form video in 2026?
In the US, 95% of consumers watch short-form video regularly, according to a Clutch survey of 483 people in October 2025. About 67% of all consumers watch every day, by our calculation. Worldwide, YouTube says Shorts alone averaged over 200 billion views a day in 2025.
Which short-form video platform is most popular?
By reach, YouTube Shorts. Clutch found 61% of US consumers watch it regularly, against 53% for Instagram Reels and 43% for TikTok in 2025. By intensity, TikTok. 21% of US teens used it almost constantly in 2025, up from 16% in 2022, according to Pew Research Center.
Is short-form video use still growing compared with last year?
Mostly yes. US adult TikTok use rose from 33% in 2024 to 37% in 2025, and YouTube Shorts daily views grew about 2.9 times between March 2024 and June 2025. But TikTok news use among US adults was flat in 2026, and fell among under-30s from 43% to 39%.
Why do short-form videos hold attention so poorly?
Viewers watch them in short bursts, often while doing something else. Only 9% of US consumers in Clutch's 2025 survey give short-form video their full attention, and 88% say a video must grab them within 30 seconds.
Does short-form video lead to sales?
For many viewers, yes. 42% of US consumers in Clutch's 2025 survey said they had bought something after watching a brand's short-form video. Among marketers, 82% told Wyzowl video gave a good return in late 2025, down from 93% a year earlier.
How long should a short-form video be?
71% of Wyzowl's late-2025 respondents think videos between 30 seconds and 2 minutes are most effective. Clutch found 88% of US consumers expect a video to grab them within the first 30 seconds.
Sources
- Clutch, Clutch Report: 95% of Consumers Watch Short-Form Videos Regularly, with Only a Fraction Staying Fully Engaged (Business Wire), 12 November 2025, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- YouTube, Neal Mohan at Cannes Lions 2025: What 20 years of YouTube reveals about creativity's future, 18 June 2025, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025, 9 December 2025, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Clutch, The Attention Economy 2025, 12 November 2025, updated 10 March 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Pew Research Center, Americans' Social Media Use 2025, 20 November 2025, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- YouTube, Sharing your passion on YouTube pays off: An update on Shorts revenue share, 28 March 2024, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- YouTube, YouTube for Press, live page, undated, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- YouTube, YouTube on TV 2026: Shorts Series and Living Room Features, 23 September 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- YouTube, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan's 2026 Letter: The Future of YouTube, 21 January 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Pew Research Center, 8 facts about Americans and TikTok, 2 March 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Pew Research Center, 1 in 5 Americans regularly get news on TikTok, 19 October 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Wyzowl, Video Marketing Statistics 2026, 2026, accessed 31 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
Changes to this page
- : Page published with Pew Research Center data to August 2026, YouTube figures to September 2026, Clutch's October 2025 survey and Wyzowl's late-2025 survey.