TikTok made me do it: Gen Zers are taking up new hobbies with the help of the popular app

Gen Z are turning to the likes of TikTok and Instagram to learn new hobbies such as creating portraits of pets, roller-skating, and bubble nails – a fingernail art technique.

A poll of 1,500, 18-25-year-olds, found 72% have been inspired to take up a new interest as a direct result of watching clips on popular social media channels.

Of those with a hobby, 53% spend at least four hours-a-week watching them on their smartphones – equating to a total of 208 hours per year.

Videos of past times, and content such as ASMR, tie-dying and ghost-hunting, have a loyal following among young adults as do ‘how-to’ clips featuring meditation, photography, and extreme make-up.

It also emerged four in 10 have gone behind the camera themselves to share their hobbies on social media.

The study was commissioned to mark the launch of the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, whose spokesperson Annika Bizon, said: “After two years of various lockdowns where our creativity could have been stifled, it’s no surprise we’ve seen an increase in awesome and unconventional hobbies coming from this generation.

“This audience craves expression, turning to social media outlets like never before, to watch, create and share their content.”

Of those who post their own content relating to their hobby on social media, 86% said it has been well received.

So much so, they’ve seen their number of followers increase by 21%.

Key motivators for sharing include showing off their new skills (26%), personal enjoyment (25%), and connecting with others (24%), while 23% do it to learn new things.

A fifth said it took them three months to perfect their hobby content – to ensure followers would like it.

On average, content creators spend an average of four hours-a-week filming and editing to ensure it’s up to scratch.

As a result of their popularity online, 48% have even turned their social media accounts into a business venture.

Sophie Taylor, 27, from Norfolk, whose hobby is pet portraiture, has done just this.

She said: “When everyone started to get a furry friend, I turned my artistic flare towards drawing pets.

“Straight away, friends and family asked me to illustrate their pets and it took off into an online business that I could easily manage through my smartphone.”

Another Gen Z, who has managed to make a living from their interest, is 22-year-old Angel My Linh, a specialist nail artist from southeast London.

She said: “My content has really taken off through the growing community of followers and I was recently asked to design nails for major artists Tems and Megan Thee Stallion, which is amazing.”

Of those polled, four in 10 described their interests as ‘awesome’, while 32% think they are ‘underrated’.

Almost a fifth of those polled, via OnePoll, think their interest makes them feel ‘liberated’ and 37% said it makes them feel ‘proud’.

DeVante Walters, 27, from London, who is into urban roller-skating, said: “For me, roller-skating has always been a passion, so I took to social platforms like TikTok to share my moves, tips, and tricks – including dance routines.

“Above all else, it is so important to connect with others, through inspiring them to join in, discover their inner talents and have fun with it.”