SA youth: The myth of the digital-only generation

Caxton Media’s most recent national ROOTS consumer survey shows that while young people are highly digital, they move seamlessly between print, digital, social, retail environments and local news.

"South African youth are not media loyal but rather platform fluid, which means brands wanting to reach them need to show up in that way too. ROOTS data points to interesting movements in how young consumers shop and their sources of brand information before making purchases. A very clear picture is emerging of this influential market’s media habits and how to tap into them," says Lynne Krog, Head of Research at Spark Media, Caxton Media.

Print readership rising

According to ROOTS, readership of local newspapers among 18–24-year-olds has increased to 46% in 2025, up from 38% in 2022. When the websites of local newspapers are included, this figure rises to 56% in 2025.

Print media consumption has increased at national level too. ROOTS reveals that youth readership of the daily national newspaper, The Citizen, increased to 29 824 readers in 2025 from 20 900 readers in 2022. That translates into a 43% increase in print readership.

"Despite assumptions about declining print consumption, local content remains highly relevant to younger audiences. They are engaging with community and national news across both print media and their associated digital platforms. Caxton Media’s local newspaper network and local news sites, along with The Citizen, provide brands with access to trusted environments that continue to attract young audiences. This challenges the assumption that younger audiences have abandoned traditional news brands solely for digital media," Krog adds.

Complex shopper journeys

ROOTS also shows just how much the youth shopping journey has evolved, and that it is more complex than many marketers assume. While online searches and social media remain important, they are not the only sources of information these consumers rely on.

In fact, the top two sources of shopping information among young consumers are print-based. Youth use print in-home (61.8%) and print in-store (50.8%) to help plan their shopping. This is followed by online searches (44.8%), browsing in-store (41.4%) and social media (38.2%).

Krog says this illustrates how a variety of sources informs young consumers' purchasing decisions, not just what they see online.

"The physical retail environment remains extremely influential, and print-based promotional content continues to play a significant role in product and brand discovery and purchase decision-making. This is particularly important for retailers and FMCG brands," she says.

Attention over exposure

Another surprising outcome of the ROOTS survey is how young consumers engage with advertising across different media platforms. The most interesting measure is not simply how many young people notice or engage with advertising, but how many actually find it useful.

From this perspective, local print newspapers take the lead. While 48.5% of youth use print advertising, only 5% find these ads annoying. This results in an overall "true usefulness" score of 43.5%.

True usefulness reflects the proportion of consumers who find advertising helpful once negative sentiment towards that advertising has been taken into account.

By comparison, 57.8% of youth engage with television advertising, but only 38.8% find it truly useful. Similarly, 49.2% engage with social media advertising, yet only 26% consider it genuinely useful.

"Social media and television may deliver scale, but local newspaper advertising delivers stronger net usefulness because audiences are less resistant to the advertising environment. In other words, being seen is not the same as being valued. This is an important distinction for advertisers," Krog explains.

A multi-platform reality

The implication for marketers is clear. South African youth are not choosing between print or digital, online or offline. They move effortlessly between them. Brands that mirror this behaviour through integrated media strategies are more likely to earn attention, trust and action than those relying on a single-channel approach.

"For brands looking to connect with this influential audience, the challenge is no longer choosing the right channel but creating a sustained brand presence across the channels they already use," Krog adds.

Through Lotame audience targeting, Caxton Collective enables advertisers to identify and reach 2.1 million South Africans aged 18–24 across Caxton Media's Local News Network of websites, The Citizen in print and online, and digital display campaigns. This allows marketers to combine trusted content environments with audience targeting technology, without having to choose between scale and relevance.

For advertisers wanting to reach South African youth, the opportunity lies not in chasing the latest platform trend, but in understanding the complete consumer journey and the subtle nuances of media engagement that underpin it. The brands that succeed will be those that show up consistently wherever young consumers seek information, inspiration and confidence to make decisions.