As Generation Z — the group born between 1997-2017 — comes of age, learning more about them is crucial for advertisers and platforms alike. Now, an annual study by Piper Jaffray examining the brand preferences of teens may be able to help. Piper Jaffray surveyed 8,000 teenagers from across the country and found they preferred companies advertised to them through Instagram and Snapchat. Seventy percent of respondents chose Instagram over other platforms for brand engagement. Inversely, 41 percent of teens chose Snapchat as their favorite social media platform, and Instagram as their second favorite at 35 percent. Facebook and Twitter clocked in at 6 percent each as teens’ favorite platforms. It seems Instagram is well aware of its potential. The app recently ramped up its consumer features allowing users to purchase products directly in the app. Last year, Instagram began offering direct links on posts, helping merchants push products through Instagram. Snapchat’s main user base is...

Nagging parents and teachers aren’t the only ones concerned with our culture’s obsessions with smartphones and social media. A recent study by Pew Research Center shows that teens are consciously logging off and stepping back from using their phones nonstop. In fact, 52% of teens say they’re trying to limit their phone use. And 54% recognize that they spend too much time on their phones in general. With smartphones becoming more accessible and widely used than ever, 72% of teens say they have a habit of grabbing their phones when they first wake up. We’ve seen how checking our phones in the morning can lead to unhappiness, stress and feeling like you’re never fully caught up. So young people already thinking about ways to curb their smart phone use could be a good sign for their future mental health. It’s not only young people who are affected. More than half of teens polled believed that their parents are distracted by phones during their conversations and 72% of parents believe...