Young people are avoiding the streaming password-sharing crackdown — so far.
For Hollywood, that’s both an annoyance and an opportunity.
Just under half of American adults younger than 30 are borrowing a streaming service log-in from someone living outside of their house, a new survey from Pew Research Center shows. That 47% figure doesn’t include those passwords within their house (or those who are lying).
Password sharing is less rampant among older generations. Only 26% of 30- to 49-year-olds say they freeload for streamers. And 15% of those over 50 said they’re using someone else’s password to watch shows and movies.
Pew Research Center
Netflix pioneered the clampdown on freeloaders to great success. After rolling out “paid sharing,” it boasted a banner year of subscriber growth in 2024 that was capped off by its best-ever quarter.
Media giants like Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery followed in Netflix’s footsteps with Disney+ and HBO Max, though they’re taking a gradual approach, likely to avoid generating mass outrage. Disney CEO Bob Iger said in early May that nudging moochers into paying has paid off by jumpstarting streaming subscriber growth.
NBC may do the same with Peacock, based on warnings it sent freeloaders, but Paramount and Apple haven’t hopped on board yet.
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Pew’s survey suggests there’s still much more room for streamers to crack down.
And while some in the younger cohort could refuse to pay, either out of spite or because they don’t watch enough to justify their own subscription, password sharers who do pay up could gravitate toward the cheaper ad-tier. That would be a win for streamers, considering that young people are the most valuable for advertisers, since their buying habits aren’t set in stone.
So, for those who are still streaming on someone else’s account, beware — because Hollywood’s password-sharing crackdown likely won’t end anytime soon.
