Social media remains widely popular among teenagers, with YouTube being the most used platform, according to a new US survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. A report titled “Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023” found that around nine out of ten teenagers use YouTube, with some claiming that their use of social media sites is “almost constant”.
The survey of more than 1,400 US teens aged 13 to 17 revealed that 93% cited YouTube as the platform they use most, followed by TikTok with 63%, Snapchat with 60% and Instagram with 59%.
However, the frequency of use varies by platform. For example, around 70% of teens visit YouTube daily, while 16% say they’re on the site almost constantly. TikTok follows with 58% of daily users, 17% of whom use it almost constantly. Snapchat and Instagram also see daily use from around 50% of teens, but Snapchat has slightly more “almost constant” users than Instagram (14% vs 8%). Facebook, however, is used daily by just 19% of teens.
The report also notes that the percentage of teens using these platforms has remained relatively stable since the previous survey in 2022, with older teens more likely than younger teens to use many platforms, including Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Reddit.
The study shows that there are significant differences in social media use between teen boys and girls. Girls are more likely to use platforms like TikTok and Snapchat almost constantly compared to boys. Moreover, girls are more likely to say they use Instagram than boys, at 66% versus 53%. Meanwhile, platforms like Discord and Twitch are more commonly used by teenage boys.
Furthermore, the teens’ responses reveal that Hispanic teens report higher percentages of “almost constant” use of YouTube, Instagram and TikTok compared to White teens. In particular, TikTok use is significantly higher among Hispanic teens, with 32% reporting almost constant use, compared to 20% for Black teens and 10% for White teens.
Twitter also shows racial disparities, with more frequent use among Black teens compared to their Hispanic and White counterparts. Similarly, WhatsApp shows a marked preference among Hispanic teens, surpassing use by Black and White teens.
However, BeReal stands out as a platform preferred by White teens, compared to Black or Hispanic teens. – AFP Relaxnews
*Pew Research Center conducted an online survey of 1,453 US teenagers from Sept 26 to Oct 23, 2023, via Ipsos.
