Which social media platforms are teens using the most in 2024?
image credit: Mariia Shalabaieva
Nearly half of teens are online almost constantly, with teens tuning into YouTube more than any other platform.
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Amid growing concerns about technology’s impact on young people, the latest Pew Research Center survey sheds light on the social media habits of US teens aged 13-17. With 95% of teens now owning a smartphone, it’s no surprise that 46% report being online ‘almost constantly’– a dramatic 24% increase since this time a decade ago.
YouTube leads the way
YouTube remains the most widely used platform, with 90% of teens using the platform. However, this represents a slight dip from 95% in 2022.
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram remain popular, with 6 in 10 teens using both. Snapchat trails close behind, but platforms such as Facebook (32%) and X (Twitter) (17%) have seen usage nearly halve over the past decade. Despite this, Facebook usage has stabilised in recent years.
Interestingly, the only platform to grow in usage among teens since 2022 is WhatsApp, rising by 6% to 23%. Meanwhile, Meta’s Threads debuted this year with just 6% adoption among teens.
Daily habits and constant use
When it comes to daily habits, YouTube stands out as the clear leader, with 73% of teens visiting the platform every day. By comparison, TikTok captures 57% daily users, while Instagram and Snapchat see close to half of teens logging in daily.
However, the more telling trend lies in “almost constant” use. Roughly one-third of teens report being on at least one of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook almost constantly, signalling the increasingly immersive nature of these platforms.
- TikTok comes out on top, with 16% of teens using it constantly.
- YouTube follows at 15%, while Snapchat and Instagram hold 13% and 12% respectively.
A look at the demographics
Gender differences
Teen girls gravitate more toward TikTok and Instagram, with 66% of girls using TikTok compared to 59% of boys. Meanwhile, boys dominate YouTube usage, with 93% tuning in compared to 87% of girls.
Interestingly, teen girls also use TikTok almost constantly more than boys (19% vs. 13%), while the pattern flips for YouTube, where boys lead almost constant usage (19% vs. 11%). There are no notable differences between constant usage between boys and girls across Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.
Race and ethnicity
Black and Hispanic teens are more, almost constant users of TikTok, YouTube and Instagram compared to White teens. For example:
- 79% of Black teens and 74% of Hispanic teens use TikTok, compared to 54% of White teens.
- Similar trends appear for Instagram, with 75% of Black teens and 66% of Hispanic teens active, versus 55% of White teens.
There were similar levels of use across other surveyed platforms.
Age trends
Older teens (15-17) are more likely to use each of the platforms than younger teens (13-14).
- 72% of older teens use Instagram compared to just 43% of younger teens.
- Snapchat follows a similar pattern with older teens using it more: 63% vs. 44%.
There are little differences across the use of other platforms between different aged teens. However, older teens are also constantly online more than younger teens (51% vs. 38%).
Household income
Teens from lower-income households use platforms like Facebook and TikTok more. Facebook usage stands at 45% among teens from households earning under $30,000, compared to just 29% for higher-income households earning over $75,000. TikTok also sees greater use among lower-income groups, with 73% reporting activity versus 59% from higher-income households.
You can read the details of the full report here.