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Is TikTok Hurting Netflix? How Short-Form Video Is Reshaping Streaming in 2025

Creatix / November 29, 2025


For years, Netflix was the default platform to "decompress" binging "entertainment". Now, anecdotally we see that many are doing something different: "TikToking". TikTok is the new binge. This begs the question, is TikTok hurting Netflix?

The short answer: TikTok isn’t "killing" Netflix yet, but it is eroding traditional streaming time and forcing Netflix to get out of its comfort zone. The two platforms increasingly compete for the same scarce resource: our attention. We are almost certain that TikTok will win. If young consumers had to choose between Netflix and TikTok, we assume that the vast majority would choose TikTok. What do you think?

In this article, we’ll look at:

  • How much time people actually spend on TikTok vs Netflix

  • What Gen Z is doing differently from older generations

  • Why Netflix is now forced to copy TikTok’s playbook

  • Whether Netflix is becoming “the new Facebook” for younger users

  • What this all means for the future of entertainment and humanity

TikTok vs Netflix: Who’s Winning the Attention War?

Let’s start with the raw attention numbers.

Recent analyses of global usage show:

  • By 2024, the average TikTok user spent about 35 hours per month in the app, more than double Instagram usage. (WARC)

  • Estimates suggest daily time on TikTok climbed from ~27 minutes in 2019 to nearly an hour (≈58 minutes) by 2024. (Electro IQ)

  • eMarketer data on U.S. adults shows both Netflix and TikTok gaining share of daily video time, with TikTok’s growth especially steep among younger users. (EMARKETER)

On the Netflix side:

  • Netflix remains one of the most-used streaming platforms across age groups. Among US Gen Z in 2024, 67.9% were expected to use Netflix, compared with 71.2% for TikTok, and forecasts suggest Netflix usage could still edge ahead again by 2026. (EMARKETER)

So the picture isn’t “TikTok replaces Netflix”, at least not yet. It’s more like:

TikTok is expanding total screen time and clawing away marginal minutes that might have gone to Netflix, YouTube, or TV. After all, time is the ultimate equalizer. We all have 24 hours in a day.

Gen Z: Choosing TikTok and YouTube Over Traditional Streaming

Recent studies show:

  • 43% of Gen Z prefer spending their entertainment time on YouTube and TikTok rather than watching traditional television or subscription streaming services. (Italy Meets Hollywood -)

  • One 2025 report found 81% of Gen Z use social media daily, and half are on social for 3+ hours per day, while 73% still spend 1+ hour daily on paid streaming like Netflix. (Attest)

In other words:

  • Gen Z isn’t abandoning Netflix entirely, but they’re more likely to open TikTok or YouTube first, and then maybe move to Netflix for longer-form viewing. Many run both applications at the same time; TikTok on the phone and Netflix on the TV or laptop.

That’s a profound shift. For older generations, “I’m bored” meant: turn on TV, which then became  Netflix. For younger generations, it increasingly means: open a social video feed.

The Attention Economy: Netflix vs Infinite Scroll

Netflix and TikTok look very different:

  • Netflix = old school, long-form, narrative, lean-back viewing

  • TikTok = the modern short-form, algorithmic, interactive, creator-driven

But they share one brutal reality:

Both are fighting for a finite pool of discretionary time and mental energy.

Several analysts and media scholars have framed TikTok as Netflix’s first major non-streaming competitor. They do not offer the same product, but compete for the same scarce resource: human attention. Both pretend to satisfy the new "need" for instant entertainment on demand. (Forbes)

Every time someone thinks, “I’ll just scroll TikTok for a bit,” there’s a non-zero chance that in an earlier era they would have:

  • Watched one more episode on Netflix

  • Started a new series

TikTok doesn’t have to replace Netflix to hurt it. It only has to steal chunks of time at the edges.

Is Netflix Becoming “the New Facebook” for Young Viewers?

To younger, heavy TikTok users, Netflix can start to feel a bit like Facebook:

  • Slower

  • Less interactive

  • More commitment

  • Less personalized “for me, right now”

Some trends feeding into that perception:

  1. Password crackdowns and rising prices
    Gen Z is less likely to pay for multiple subscriptions. Cracking down on password sharing plus price hikes nudges them toward free, ad-supported platforms and social video. (The Australian)

  2. Content overload and decision fatigue
    TikTok’s “I’ll decide for you, just keep swiping” feels easier than scrolling rows of tiles on Netflix trying to pick a show.

  3. Cultural momentum
    For many teens and twenty-somethings, the memes, sounds, and shared culture are born on TikTok and then spread outward. Netflix shows can still be cultural events, but increasingly they feel very foreign and outdated. 

That said, it would be wrong to treat Netflix as a fossil yet. In many markets, especially overseas, younger Gen Z users still see Netflix as a status symbol and it is still a cultural anchor when big shows drop. (The Economic Times)

The more accurate framing is:

Netflix's cool is cooling down fast. It’s just one option among many, and no longer the preferred one. 

How Netflix Is Trying to Copy TikTok

If you want proof that TikTok is reshaping the battlefield, look at what Netflix is doing.

In the last few years, Netflix has:

  • Launched “Fast Laughs” and “Kids Clips”—feeds of short clips you can scroll through, very similar to TikTok or Reels (Meta's copy of TikTok). (Los Angeles Times)

  • In 2025, began testing a TikTok-style vertical video feed on mobile, where users can swipe through short clips and instantly jump into the full show or add it to their list. (The Verge)

  • Experimented more broadly with vertical video and mobile-first formats, while its CTO openly acknowledged rising competition from short-form platforms—even while insisting Netflix isn’t trying to become TikTok. (Storyboard18)

At the same time, analysts note that Netflix’s engagement growth has stagnated—people still use it a lot, but they aren’t necessarily increasing their total time the way they used to. (nScreenMedia)

Taken together, this suggests:

  • TikTok isn’t wiping Netflix out (yet), but TikTok is forcing Netflix to adapt its discovery, UI, and content strategy just to maintain its current share of attention.

Why Short-Form Feels Better to a Tired Brain

TikTok is “faster mental candy”. Psychologically, TikTok offers:

  • Low friction: No decision, just swipe.

  • Variable rewards: Every video might be great, triggering a slot-machine effect.

  • Personalized hits: The algorithm quickly learns your micro-tastes.

  • Social feedback: Likes, comments, stitches, duets.

Netflix, by contrast, asks "too much":

  • What do I want to watch? (“Do I really want to watch a 45-minute "LONG" episode?”)

Youngsters these days do not have such a "long" time to watch a Netflix show. These shows, by the way, require significantly more cognitive engagement (plots, characters, continuity) than TikTok candy. 

After a draining day, especially for people whose attention is already fragmented by phones and notifications, TikTok’s design can feel more instantly soothing, even if it’s worse for mental health. What else is new in the realm of social trends and addiction in general? 

In the end, it seems that the majority will be TikTokin' instead of “binging Netflix.”

So… Is TikTok Really Killing Netflix?

Let’s make the verdict explicit.

What the Data Suggests

  • TikTok is dominating incremental screen time growth, especially among younger users, commanding ~35 hours per month on average globally and close to an hour per day in some regions. (Exploding Topics)

  • Gen Z is reallocating attention from traditional TV and some streaming toward TikTok and YouTube, with a large share explicitly preferring those platforms for entertainment time. (Italy Meets Hollywood -)

  • Netflix is still strong, widely used, and culturally relevant—but its engagement growth has slowed, and it’s borrowing TikTok’s mechanics to stay sticky. (nScreenMedia)

A Slow Death 

TikTok isn’t killing Netflix the way Netflix “killed” Blockbuster. Instead:

  • Netflix is maturing into a default long-form platform

  • TikTok (and their copycats YouTube Shorts, Reels, etc.) are becoming the default short-form “idle time” platforms

  • The competition is over marginal minutes and habit formation, not direct content substitution

If Netflix ever truly feels like “the new Facebook,” (outdate, boring, and for "old" people) it will likely be because an entire generation has trained its brain to prefer infinite scroll and micro-content over "long" 40-minute narrative arcs. Netflix will not vanish, but in our view, its valuation is more questionable than ever. 

The Future: Coexistence, Not Extinction

Over the next few years, expect:

  • More hybrid formats: longer TikTok videos (up to 60 minutes is already being tested) and more short-form discovery inside streaming apps. (Variety)

  • More ad-supported “free” streaming (like Tubi) that sits between social video and premium SVOD, attracting budget-conscious Gen Z and millennials. (The Australian)

  • More cross-pollination: shows built to be “TikTok-able,” with meme-ready scenes and sound bites that circulate on social first, then push people to Netflix or other platforms.

In that world, TikTok doesn’t kill Netflix, but it forces it to play catch up completely outside of its comfort zone. If you ask us, this is not the time to invest in Netflix. It's format is in the rear view camera. 

Disclaimer: We are not shorting Netflix stock yet, but we are thinking about it. 

Now you know it.

www.creatix.one (creating meaning...)

ForLosers.com (losing ignorance, poor habits, more)




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