YouTube still dominates for younger audiences despite the huge influence of TikTok, though it is slipping very slightly.

TikTok has exploded onto the scene in recent years. It seems like everyone uses TikTok, and older platforms like YouTube could easily be mistaken as forgotten. But that’s not the case.

That’s according to a new survey from Pew Research Center. A whopping 93% of US teens reported using YouTube. However, this is a slight decline from 95% in last year’s survey.

TikTok came second with a surprisingly low 63% of US teens reporting that they use the app. Snapchat followed closely behind with 60% of US teens engaging with their app.

Whilst these apps engage highly with teens, YouTube’s continuing success could be down to it’s versatile content. For example, YouTube now provide YouTube Shorts for a TikTok-style short-form experience but of-course still provides millions of longer and detailed videos, both for entertainment and education – and beyond.

Interestingly, they found that teens were more likely to use TikTok often. They a very slight lead on YouTube with 17% of US teens saying they almost constantly use TikTok, and 16% of US teens saying they constantly visit YouTube.

While YouTube is the most popular platform overall, TikTok is the most popular among younger teens, with 68% of teens ages 15 to 17 saying they use the app compared to 45% of teens ages 13 and 14. This suggests that TikTok’s appeal may be waning among older teens.

Overall, teens are spending more time online than ever before. Nearly half (46%) of teenagers say they are online “almost constantly,” a substantial jump from 24% in 2015. This trend has implications for marketers and content creators who want to reach this audience.

Key Takeaways

  • YouTube is still the most popular social media platform among US teens, with 93% of them reporting using the site.
  • TikTok is the second most popular platform, with 63% of teens reporting using the app.
  • Snapchat and Instagram are also popular among teens, with 60% and 59% penetration respectively.
  • Younger teens are more likely to use TikTok, while older teens are more likely to use YouTube.
  • Teens are spending more time online than ever before, with nearly half (46%) of them reporting being online “almost constantly.”

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