Over one-third of Gen Z (39%) and millennials (34%) who have used genAI tools to check symptoms report that they would put off seeing a doctor if the AI told them their issue was low-risk, according to an October 2025 poll from The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com conducted by SurveyMonkey. Overrelying on AI for medical guidance carries real risk, especially as models are still maturing and sometimes produce faulty information. AI companies should add explicit in-chat disclaimers against being used as a replacement for medical care and strengthen guardrails to block unvetted or potentially harmful health advice.
18 bills aimed at strengthening online protections for minors advanced in the US House on Thursday, including a modified version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Adapting strategies and preparing contingency plans for any youth online safety laws is essential for advertisers, especially as other regions like Australia go full steam ahead with regulation targeting minors’ online habits.
AI chatbot use has crossed from novelty to habit for US teenagers. Nearly half (46%) of teens ages 13 to 17 use chatbots at least once a week, per Pew Research, including 16% who access AI several times a day or almost constantly. A new generation of AI-native users is emerging and could soon define which chatbots and AI services become the industry standard. Marketers should pressure-test AI integrations for age-appropriate use cases. As teen AI use grows, safety-first design can earn trust and long-term loyalty.
ChatGPT is closing 2025 as the most downloaded iPhone app in the US, vaulting past entrenched social platforms, search, and shopping apps, per TechCrunch. Google Gemini was the only other AI app in the top 10, landing in the final slot. This is the first time an AI assistant has outranked every social and utility app in the US. AI assistants are the new entry point for mobile discovery, and brands should optimize content, creative, and ad journeys for users who start—and often finish—inside conversational interfaces.
Millennials accounted for nearly half (46%) of all patient bookings on Zocdoc’s platform this year, per Zocdoc’s just-released annual report on consumer booking behaviors. Healthcare providers need to ensure that their online business profiles are updated, lean into digital tools for pre- and post-visit communication, and create social media content that offers information and guidance on caring for loved ones.
Many Gen Xers have waited until their later working years to prepare for retirement, according to a Harris Poll study, and they’re racing to catch up. After they realized retirement was nearing, 40% of Gen Xers said they cut back on discretionary spending. The story about the Great Wealth Transfer often leaves out Gen Xers. Banks should be preparing their advice offerings for the upcoming wave of Gen X retirements among and the financial strain many face as that transition nears, so these customers aren’t left behind.
Australia has enacted the world’s first nationwide ban on social-media accounts for anyone under 16, forcing platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat to remove underage users or face major penalties. Policymakers and researchers will study the effects on mental health, offline behavior, and migration to unregulated platforms—insights that could influence US policy, where similar proposals are already gaining traction. For advertisers, the implications are significant: removing millions of teen users would constrict future reach curves, shift youth attention toward gaming-adjacent spaces, raise competition for compliant inventory, and complicate early brand-building. Australia’s experiment may foreshadow US market disruption.
Yelp’s newest Most Loved Brands list identifies which national chains consumers returned to most in a year defined by cautious, value-sensitive spending. Unlike perception-based rankings, Yelp’s loyalty score draws from behavioral signals—repeat visits to brand pages, review volume, sentiment, and photo activity—revealing what people actually do, not just what they say. Dave’s Hot Chicken leads the list on the strength of customizable experiences and overwhelmingly positive ratings, while legacy chains, nostalgia-driven brands, and Zillennial favorites succeed for distinct reasons. For marketers, the findings echo broader path-to-purchase trends: consumers increasingly depend on reviews, consistency, and social proof to validate where they spend.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how LGBTQ+ streaming platform Revry has been able to gain traction in a crowded, highly competitive streaming TV universe; what advertisers misunderstand about marketing to the queer community; and some examples of when queer representation in media hit the nail on the head—and when it missed the mark. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with analysts Paola Flores-Marquez and Emmy Liederman, and Revry CEO and Co-Founder Damian Pelliccione. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
e news: Multicultural consumers—a segment whose buying power has grown 345% over the last 20 years—now expect brands to prioritize representation in ads, per a Snapchat study. Brands must tailor ad strategies to appeal to multicultural consumers, but should understand that simple, one-off campaign inclusion won’t be enough to drive action.
Younger consumers are more likely than older generations to put off care or treatment due to cost, according to a September 2025 Pymnts survey. Younger consumers are generally healthier than older adults, which may make their medical needs feel less urgent. Provider organizations must show Gen Z why staying on top of their health matters—and that care doesn’t have to be expensive in many instances.
61% of Gen Z shoppers used AI tools to help with a purchase in the last year, according to a September 2025 survey from PayPal.
Reports of Gen Z’s sluggish holiday spending may be exaggerated. Brands like Edikted, Kendra Scott, and Bath & Body Works—favorites of the cohort—saw heavier foot traffic during Black Friday, per Bloomberg. The cohort will account for a greater share of Cyber Five spending this year—18%—while all other generations will see their share decline, per Deloitte. With the pressures on Gen Z spending set to persist beyond the holiday season, brands and retailers will have to work hard to make their case to the increasingly cash-strapped cohort.
Pinterest is pushing further into search to maintain growth, especially among Gen Z. Two-thirds of Pinterest’s interactions involve search, CEO Bill Ready told Business Insider. The platform has 80 billion monthly search queries, according to Pinterest. That’s comparable to ChatGPT’s 75 billion queries per month. Pinterest’s high-intent audience, paired with shoppable pins, presents an ideal platform for brand messaging. As more users weed out genAI images, legitimate ads will stand out and minimize fears of scams.
A new report from ANA and Harris Poll indicates that future marketing success will require delivering offline experiences. Brands will need to recalibrate budgets to accommodate this hybrid landscape of high-touch engagement blended with AI-driven discovery. Brands should use AI to handle low-touch decisions, then reinvest the time and trust gained into high-touch offline experiences and brand activations like pop-up shops or store takeovers. Those events create meaning that will help brands stay visible and valued.
Consumer concerns over AI scams are rising, as three-quarters of UK adults believe AI advancements have made online scams more difficult to identify, per Barclays. Just 36% of UK consumers are confident they could spot an AI scam. As consumers wade through scams to find legitimate retail sites, ecommerce marketers should review brand search results, monitor social mentions, earn trust through About and FAQ pages, and advertise with caution on social media sites.
Australia’s ban on social media accounts for under-16s, which will take effect on December 10, is the clearest signal yet that the youth web is being rebuilt. Under the new rules, platforms will be compelled to block or remove minors or face fines up to AUD 49.5 million ($32.6 million)—a world first that other governments are watching closely, per The BBC. Brands will need to future-proof their playbooks by looking at alternatives like connected TV (CTV), offline events and sponsorships, and other privacy-safe campaigns.
Gen X is projected to lead all generations in total annual spending this year, per NielsenIQ. Brands often focus on younger consumers to build long-term loyalty, but in doing so, they’re missing immediate sales potential from Gen Xers, who account for 33.2% of retail spending despite making up just 19.4% of the population. Retailers and brands should seize the opportunity to build stronger connections with Gen Xers by sharpening their marketing focus and improving in-store experiences. The brands that blend authenticity in their marketing with well-executed in-store experiences will win Gen Xers’ hearts and wallets.
In earnings calls from retail leaders, one of the biggest shared signals is that AI shopping assistants are becoming the new front door of the customer journey. Whether the retailer is in grocery, fashion, or general merchandise, conversational search is now the organizing principle for discovery.