Teenagers are hands-down one of the hardest audiences for museums to crack because of their constant exposure to the seconds-long snackable content. Competing with the 10-second dopamine hit that they get through reels and TikTok is no small feat.
But this is exactly the audience that museums have to reach!
According to a joint study by the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Walker Art Center, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, people who took part in art programs during their teenage years showed stronger leadership skills. They also had greater civic involvement than those who did not get such museum experiences in early life.
In this article, therefore, we discuss some strategies that make museums for teenagers so interactive, so social, so “post-worthy” that teens would want to come to your exhibits over and over!
7 Engagement Strategies to Make Museums for More Attractive Teenagers
All of the museum visitor engagement strategies that we’re going to discuss ahead are based on one core concept: museums for teenagers need to be interactive, both in person and online.
Here are 7 different ways to do so.
1. Speak Teen on Social Media, Not Museum Jargon
No kid under 18 stops mid-scroll to read about interdisciplinary curatorial frameworks. Teens respond best to authenticity when it is delivered in their own language.
To catch a teen’s attention, you’ll have to meet them on their platforms and in their own way.
If a meme or sound trends, jump on it as soon as you can. Make TikToks, Instagram reels, short and relatable YouTube videos, join Discord servers, and Reddit threads.
You can’t be spending three weeks getting it approved by the board, because by then, the trend will be long dead and buried.
The TikTok presence of Black Country Living Museum in the UK, for example, blew up because it was never too academic.
Staff dressed in historical costumes explaining history with humor that made sense to Gen Z was the primary reason why it became a TikTok sensation.
2. Turn School Trips into Adventures, Not Lectures
Museum school trips are not exactly a teen’s idea of fun because of how they are, i.e., a guided, boring tour where students fight to stay awake. Teens don’t want to be talked at. They want to do things, preferably on their own.
So, you must give them live experiences that they will talk about on the bus ride home. The more actively involved they are during the trip, the more they’ll like it.
Of course, that will require some brainstorming on your end. You could plan some games, scavenger hunts, little team competitions, photo challenges, anything that will get them thinking and moving.
Also, be equally invested with the students during the trip. Make fun mini-vlogs featuring them, and record the activities they are a part of. These videos will also double up as your marketing content that you can later post on your socials.
3. Make Exhibits Hands-On and Selfie-Worthy
Gone are the days when we were taken to museums and strictly told not to touch anything. If you want museums for teens to be a fun experience, you’ll have to make sure your exhibits are as interactive as possible.
The integration of AR/VR has an established positive correlation with student learning experiences. Use it to your advantage. Make your exhibits three-dimentional so the students get to see an immersive display and excitedly click photos there.
The de Young Museum once made every person’s dream of standing at a museum fashion exhibit and thinking, “Will I ever get to try that on?” through their collaboration with Snap Inc. (yes, the Snapchat people).
The “Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style” show allowed viewers to virtually try out three looks from the couture by Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, and local legend Kaisik Wong, and many more. Imagine how cool that would be for a teen!
4. Let Teens Curate and Take Ownership
Teens love having a voice, and they’re pretty good at using it, too! To attract a young audience, you could introduce an event entirely managed by teens.
Those who volunteer for the event get to pick the pieces, write their labels in their own Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha lingo, choose the playlist for the night, adjust the lighting the way they want to, basically, have the freedom to do it their way!
Themed pop-up exhibits for teens would also allow them to connect history and art to their world. Teen trends like sneaker culture, fandoms, streetwear, digital art (digitalization, in general), etc. can be lovely themes for such exhibits.
5. Blend Pop Culture with Classic Exhibits
You may have a hundred displays of 17th-century swords, but if your label for one of them says it looks straight out of Assassin’s Creed, teens will find it way cooler.
Create exhibits to connect Assassin’s Creed and God of War with real historical settings. Show how Black Panther drew on African art traditions. Discuss how Bridgerton builds upon Regency fashion.
And to make it all come together, play recent music, songs that teens can instantly recognize, that also match with the exhibit’s theme. Who wouldn’t love The Weeknd’s “Power Is Power” humming in the background while they walk through an ancient Egypt room?
The point is, the moment teens realize the stuff they binge and play is inspired by real history, you’ve got their attention.
6. Host Night Events Designed Just for Teens
If you want teens in your museum, you’ve got to give them a reason to want to be there. Museums for teenagers don’t have to close at 5 p.m. You could turn yours into a fun hangout spot. All you need to do is:
- Turn down the dim, dusky museum lights and have some neon lights for after-hours
- Put on the latest tracks
- Get some food trucks parked out front
- Introduce pop-up art corners if possible
- Have a selfie zone
And just like that, your museum will now be a community hub, a place where teens feel welcome.
7. Gamify the Museum Experience with Challenges
Gamification taps straight into teen psychology. Kids these days love small wins and the thrill of progression, the very things that keep them hooked on games. When we know that their brains light up for streaks and badges, why not use it for learning purposes?
You could integrate QR codes across exhibits that lead to a hidden fact, a behind-the-scenes video, or a meme-worthy fun fact about a display. Build them scavenger hunts that encourage teens to explore through the museum to complete certain challenges.
Or, you could even build a mobile app that turns the museum into a live game. Teens would earn digital tokens as they visit it and again, level up through challenges.
To make it social-media-friendly, you could add shareable leaderboard rankings and points too. If it’s not post-worthy, did it even happen?
A great example of this approach in action is Tornado Studios’ interactive anthropology exhibit at the National Anthropology Museum in Sofia.
The touchscreen experience we provided turned learning into play for teenagers, and drew them in through gamified discovery and hands-on problem-solving.
Let Your Museum’s Creativity Meet Teenage Curiosity
Museums can absolutely be teen magnets when they embrace creativity, interactivity, and culture with a modern touch to it.
Your goal should be to create museum experiences for teenagers using the strategies we listed in this blog that outlast the scroll.
Because, as Benjamin Franklin said:
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.”
And if your museum is ready to take that step into immersive engagement, Tornado Studios can help.
We specialize in creating interactive 3D exhibits and digital recreations that bring history or digital objects to life. Our team transforms traditional spaces into captivating and future-ready experiences for young audiences.
Schedule a free consultation with Tornado Studios to explore how museums for teenagers can become attractive and appealing.
FAQs
How can we make a museum more interesting?
The easiest way to make a museum more interesting for teens is to make it hands-on. The more they can touch, move, build, or play with, the more they’ll like it.
Try to have exhibits that light up, make sounds, respond to movement, or have interactive 3D displays that will engage teens through a sensory experience.
Is the science museum good for teenagers?
Absolutely, but only if that museum for teens is actually fun. If all your science exhibits are behind glass with a big “do not touch” sign, teens will probably not be interested in them. They want to experiment, press buttons, test things out, and see how stuff works in real time.
So, hook them through active engagement, and they’ll get to learn a lot about science!
What attracts Teenagers to museums?
Three things, mainly.
First, sensory experiences, things they can see, hear, touch, and play with. The more immersive the exhibits are, the more they attract teens.
Second, activities that are actually fun for them like games or creative workshops, where they don’t feel like they’re actively learning.
And third, the vibe. If a museum feels more like a hangout spot with food, photo ops, and space to chill with friends, it will attract teens a lot more than traditional exhibits that they find boring.
