Princeton, N.J. – September 24, 2026 -- Young adults aged 18-24 have overtaken teens as the primary drivers of brand discovery on TikTok and Instagram, according to Refuel Agency's newly redesigned 2026 Youth, College & Young Adult Explorer study of 1,545 respondents.
Social media engagement now peaks in young adulthood, not the teen years
Young adults lead brand discovery on TikTok at 30% versus 28% for teens, and on Instagram at 29% versus 23%. Adults log nearly double the weekly social media hours of teens -- 40 hours versus 24 -- with college students matching adults at 40 hours weekly. Liz Carmo, EVP Audience & Brand at Refuel Agency, said brand media plans still treating the teen years as the social-media high-water mark are reaching audiences at the wrong intensity.
Study splits youth into four segments after finding 40% skip college entirely
Refuel restructured the research to separate teens (15-17), young adults (18-24), adults (25+), and college versus non-college students, moving away from a single "youth" category anchored on the college decision. The redesign responded to data showing roughly 40% of the youth population does not attend college, meaning college-centric studies were describing only six in ten young people.
Tangible incentives convert far better than passive ad exposure
Social ads captured the most attention at 51%, followed by influencer content at 50%, yet each converted only 29% of those exposed. Campus free-food promotions converted 62% of exposed college students. Coupons converted 67% of teens and 70% of young adults. Sampling drove 60% of recipients to research or buy, with 42% completing a purchase.
Young adults hold fewer credit cards but more investments than any other segment
Young adults show the lowest credit-card ownership at 58%, compared with 75% for adults, and the lowest average spend at $676 versus $982 for adults. Despite this, young adults report the highest average number of investments held of any segment studied, pointing to an alternative entry point into the financial system that bypasses traditional credit.
Parental control over teen purchases fades sharply once students reach college
Parents lead 73-83% of teen decisions across autos, phones, insurance, and finance, including 78% of teen auto purchases. By college, 58% of students make their own auto purchase decisions, marking a rapid handoff of financial autonomy.
The findings now feed directly into Refuel's proprietary audience AI models, which the agency uses to target, plan, and measure youth and young adult campaign performance.