It used to be the home of wedding mood boards and kitchen reno inspo. Now? Pinterest has a whole new, much younger fan base.
The latest numbers, plus some big moves from global brands and a social media ban across the ditch, suggest Pinterest is having a serious moment with younger audiences.
Gen Z now makes up more than half of Pinterest
Here’s the recent stat that made us look twice. According to Pinterest CEO Bill Ready, Gen Z now makes up more than half of the platform’s audience and is its largest and fastest-growing group (Pinterest Newsroom).
And the platform itself is far from slowing down:
640 million people using it every month
12 quarters in a row of record user numbers
80 billion+ searches every month, with more than half of them shopping-related
For an app plenty of marketers had filed under “millennial mums and DIY projects”, Pinterest is having quite the glow-up.
Pinterest is less of a feed and more of a search engine
So why are younger users flocking to a platform their older siblings (and parents) used for party planning?
Part of it comes down to how they use it. Instagram is where you keep tabs on friends and creators you already follow. TikTok and Pinterest are both places younger people go to search, but the mindset is a little different. On TikTok, they’re often looking for reviews, recommendations and how-tos. On Pinterest, they’re usually planning something: an outfit, a haircut, a bedroom makeover or a gift idea. In fact, according to Hootsuite, looking up products and brands is the main thing Gen Z uses Pinterest for. They’re also the age group doing the most searching and saving on the app.
There’s a vibe factor at play too. One of our resident Gen Z’ers at Matter calls it 'the peaceful app': “Everything I see is there because I chose it to be. There’s hardly ever anything that upsets me or makes me want to delete the app. There's no 'noise'. It’s nice to have a space that’s just for me.”
The big brands have caught on
It’s not just us noticing. In a recent Business Insider piece, marketers from brands like Coach talked about how they’re reshuffling their platform priorities to reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Pinterest was once a place for people (mostly millennials) planning weddings, baby showers and holidays, but younger audiences have turned it into a place of discovery. And that’s the magic of Pinterest: people often find exactly what they’re after before they even know what that “thing” is.
Closer to home, Tourism New Zealand has been getting creative on the platform too. To line up with A Minecraft Movie, which was filmed here, it teamed up with Flight Centre on a Pinterest campaign that pitched New Zealand to Australian gamers as a real-life Minecraft world worth exploring. The campaign reached 43% more new and unique people than standard targeting, and people who saw both the awareness and booking-focused ads converted at twice the usual rate (Pinterest Business).
Meanwhile, across the ditch, Pinterest is thriving
The Australian Government has given Pinterest an unexpected boost.
Since 10 December 2025, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and X have been banned for Australians under 16. Pinterest, Roblox and WhatsApp weren’t included (The Nightly). According to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Pinterest is mostly about collecting images and ideas rather than socialising, so it isn’t covered by the legislation (TechCrunch).
Our MD Lisa has seen what this looks like up close. Her friend in Australia has two teenage daughters, and with most of their usual apps off the table, Pinterest has become one of their main hangouts online. That’s where they hunt for outfit ideas, save room inspo and keep up with what’s trending.
The Australian Government has said the list of restricted platforms is still under review, so this could change. But right now, a whole generation of Aussie teens is forming its online habits on Pinterest. And habits like that have a way of sticking around.
Could the same thing happen in Aotearoa?
Possibly. And that’s why Kiwi brands should keep an eye on what’s happening in Australia.
In August 2026, the government introduced a bill that would require high-risk platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook to take reasonable steps to make sure users are over 16. YouTube would be included too, while messaging apps, Roblox, Spotify and LinkedIn wouldn’t be (The Spinoff).
We don’t yet know where Pinterest would sit under a New Zealand ban. But if it’s treated the same way it is in Australia, it could become one of the main places Kiwi teens spend their screen time, almost overnight.
Getting your business to show up the Pinterest way
Pinterest isn’t TikTok or Instagram, and content that works on those platforms won’t automatically land here. A few things we’d keep in mind:
Write for search. Think about how people actually type what they’re after. “Cosy uni bedroom ideas” will get found. “Our new homewares range” probably won’t.
Sell the idea, not just the product. Show how your product fits into a look, a space or a moment, rather than sitting alone on a white background.
Take note of the trends. Micro-trends and “core” aesthetics often take off on Pinterest before they hit the mainstream, so it pays to know what your audience is saving.
Think long term. A good Pin can keep getting found and saved for months, long after a Reel or TikTok has dropped out of people’s feeds.
Keep it age-appropriate. Pinterest keeps accounts for 13 to 15-year-olds private (eSafety Guide), and brands should be just as thoughtful about how they talk to younger Gen Z and up-and-coming Gen Alpha.
Think twice about AI content. AI content is hard to avoid these days, but Pinterest gives users ways to filter it. Pins it detects as AI-made get an “AI modified” label, and users can choose to see fewer AI Pins (TechCrunch). If your content leans heavily on AI imagery, it could end up seen by fewer people.
Time to dust off your brand’s Pinterest boards?
Pinterest isn’t going to replace your other channels, and it doesn’t need to. What it offers is something the louder platforms can’t always promise: younger people showing up with a plan. They’re not just killing time. They’re hunting for ideas and working out what to buy next.
That makes it a natural fit for brands in fashion, beauty, homeware, food and travel, or really any brand whose product looks good or solves a problem. And with Gen Z (and Gen Alpha right behind them) treating Pinterest as their go-to for inspiration, the brands that show up there now are the ones they’ll already know when it’s time to spend.
If your Pinterest account hasn’t had much love lately, you’ve never set one up, or you’re interested in Pinterest advertising, we’d love to help you figure out whether it’s worth it for your business.
(References used from Pinterest Newsroom, ‘Bill Ready at Pinterest Presents’; Hootsuite, ‘42 Pinterest stats that matter to marketers in 2026’; Business Insider, ‘Marketers pivot to TikTok, YouTube to target Gen Z shoppers’; Pinterest Business, ‘Flight Centre and Tourism New Zealand success story’; The Nightly, ‘Everything parents need to know about Australia’s social media ban for under 16s’; TechCrunch, ‘Australia adds Twitch to teen social media ban, Pinterest exempted’; The Spinoff, ‘New Zealand’s proposed social media ban for under-16s, explained’; eSafety Commissioner, ‘eSafety Guide: Pinterest’; TechCrunch, ‘Pinterest launches new tools to fight AI slop’)