What Will the Kids Read If Teen Vogue Is Closing?

Image: vogue.com

If you are a lover of fashion, you probably heard the news that Teen Vogue is closing down. This has been a very popular topic among digital fashion spaces in the past few weeks. Since 2003 Teen Vogue has basically been like Vogue's younger sister. So, in keeping with its name Teen Vogue was like Vogue, but for the tweens, teens and young adults. However, the brand didn’t merely serve the purpose of living in Vogue's shadow — it was an independent publication that had its own, very distinct voice. One that was often considered more daring and disruptive than Vogue itself, with progressive journalism that allowed young people to engage with topics like politics, human rights, and social justice while platforming women, people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community.

What Do They Mean By ‘Closing’?

Technically, the term 'closing’ or 'closure' is misleading. On the 3rd of November 2025, Condé Nast announced that the magazine will be folded into Vogue.com, meaning it will be merging its operations with the website. This consolidation is part of a corporate push to streamline operations and in their words, “provide a more unified reader experience across titles”, reduce costs, increase digital traffic, and ad revenue across Condé Nast's platforms. 

In addition, Chloe Malle, Vogue’s head of editorial content, will be assuming the editorial control, while editor-in-chief Versha Sharma will be stepping down. In spite of all these changes, Vogue promises to keep the integrity of Teen Vogue intact. According to the announcement, Teen Vogue will still be “a distinct editorial property, with its own identity and mission.” 

What Does This Mean For Youth Media?

Image: teenvogue.com

Older Gen Z’s and Millennials were fortunate enough to grow up in times where not only their education, but their entertainment were prioritised. They had their own designated space in the media landscape, one that allowed them to feel seen and cultivate their own culture(s) around fashion, music, film and in some cases, even politics — all within an age appropriate vacuum, thus creating ecosystems that empowered the youth. Teen Vogue was one such media space.

Despite all the talk of there being no real change to the Teen Vogue brand, one thing is for certain, the publication is not going to be the same. Along with Sharma, Condé Nast laid off six unionised Teen Vogue employees. There is an obvious change in tune that is taking place here. It is evident that the magazine's Gen-Z-focused political content is likely not going to weather this storm.

Image: vogue.com

With the removal of so many of its integral writers and voices, the magazine is experiencing a significant change to its brand identity. From the look of things, they seem to intend on taking a softer approach to their content. A direction that is less politically charged and it may not resonate with their current audience. One of the greater issues of all is the gap this leaves in the media space for content that is specifically geared towards young people. Content that understands them and doesn't undermine them and their deeper interests and concerns, besides fashion, beauty, and celebrity culture. Reporter Rainesford Stauffer, posted on X saying, “Teen Vogue took young people seriously. It's impossible to overstate how important, how rare, and how profoundly needed that is.”

With this all considered, the questions remaining are: Will young readers be okay with these changes? Where will they go to fill the gap if they do not like where this is headed?

Social Media: The Next Not-so-Best Thing

With the number of traditional media spaces specially geared towards young people dwindling down year after year, they find themselves more and more dependent on social media for their fill of entertainment. However, social media offers very little beyond trends, influencers and algorithms.

Traditional media offers depth and different perspectives in a way that social media is inherently incapable of doing. In fact, these sites are programmed to do the exact opposite, with algorithms that are set up to give the same angles and views, basically, to keep you comfortable. And unlike traditional media, social media does not offer a guaranteed flow of age appropriate continent that is specifically relevant to tweens and teens. Throughout the past decade, it can be observed that youth culture, currently, is mostly built around emulating adults on social media, rather than cultivating a unique culture that is entirely theirs. Without platforms like Teen Vogue, that reflect their experiences, their issues and their concerns, they will be neglected. 

Because there is such little content on offer for this group, catering to them comes with more than just offering the light subject matter. A bit more is expected from media sources that engage with them because there is a lot of ground to cover; a lot to make up for. Just talking about celebrity gossip and the next social media hair trend is not going to cut it.

On the 5th of November, Sharma took to Instagram and shared a statement, saying. "We put diverse faces and bodies on our covers, explored everything from sustainability in fashion to the fight for abortion rights and bodily autonomy, and sought to empower and elevate people changing the game across industries.

We tell stories that no one else does, because we understand the power of being seen.”, and went on to say, “Young people deserve media for them, by them, and that respects them”. It is crucial that the media preserves what is left of the space that centers teenagers while ensuring they accurately reflect their interests and meet this demographic where they are. However, it does not seem as though that is the direction that Teen Vogue will be taking.

So, yes Teen Vogue is not closing, but in all honesty, given the way that they are going about things, it might as well have been closed.