According to a recent study by Pew Research Center, 85 percent of American teens say they watch YouTube. That’s more than both Snapchat and Instagram. But does this hold true at Wilson?

According to a Beacon survey of 145 Wilson students, 96 percent watch Youtube. 63 percent visit the site every day to watch various types of videos, the most popular categories being comedy and entertainment. Gaming was also a popular choice, with 43 percent of people favoring popular gamers such as PewDiePie and PrestonPlayz, who upload videos of themselves playing video games and commentating live.

Freshman Kai Christie agreed with the majority, and said he watches entertainment/comedy videos such as “SNL and political skits.” Junior Leeza Predovskaya chooses to go a different route on the boundless website. “I watch a lot of ASMR,” she said. ASMR videos display people making relaxing sounds with various objects meant to gratify the viewer’s sensory response.

YouTube is a public social media platform, so both watching and uploading videos is free to anyone with access to the internet. And though the vast majority of Wilson students do view the videos of others, a mere 12 percent actually upload their own content. But there are a few more active and popular YouTubers at Wilson, including Senior Zaria Wilson, whose channel has 18 videos and almost 800 subscribers.

Wilson has always been interested in YouTube. She’s loved watching videos since she was 12, and was inspired by lesser-known YouTubers to start a channel of her own last summer. Ever since, she’s been entertaining viewers with her challenges, trivia, reactions, and more that she posts to her channel: Zaria Simone.

“Most of my videos focus on public interviews, school, lifestyle, and vlogs,” Wilson said. Several of her videos relate to Wilson, high-school life, and DC. “I uploaded my first official video, ‘High School Survival Guide,’ which you should all watch, in July of 2018,” she said. Some of her other videos include “First Day of Senior Year Vlog,” “Best Instagram Spots In DC,” and “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader | High School Edition.” Many of her videos involve her interviewing various Wilson students in different spots around the school and recording their responses to various topics, such as “How Do You Know When You Like Someone?” Wilson enjoys making this type of content because it is “entertaining and introduces me to other perspectives on life and relationships.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m popular, but I have grown a name around Wilson,” she said. “People ask to be in my videos, and they also look forward to watching them.” But YouTube isn’t just a fun social media platform for her. “My main goal is to inspire others to be confident, be themselves, and to have fun!” Wilson used Youtube to record her experiences and to have an impact on others in the world. “High school is a once in a lifetime experience and you only live once. My goal is to document each moment while it lasts.”