As you might expect, a significant number of teens are addicted to their phones, but Gen Z’s ranking of major social apps may surprise you. According to a report from the Pew Research Center, one-third of teenage respondents visit YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook “almost constantly,” with YouTube reaching the biggest share of that cohort.
Pew compiled its research by querying 1,453 respondents between the ages of 13 and 17. Kids born after 2010 are considered part of Generation Alpha, so this is the final year that a survey of teenagers can fully represent Gen Z culture.
So how does the younger edge of Gen Z feel about social media? You can probably guess. 46% of Pew’s respondents reported that they use the internet “almost constantly.” That figure has doubled since Pew first reported on teens’ digital habits back in 2015.
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93% of the respondents said they have used YouTube, which gives the Google-owned platform the longest reach among today’s teenage audience. TikTok, used by 63% of respondents, was second on that axis, with Snapchat third and Instagram fourth. YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram all saw their usage percentages go down since the last edition of Pew’s report.
Two other Meta-owned apps, WhatsApp and Facebook, saw their usage go up slightly. Snapchat, used by 60% of teens, had a positive year as well, while Discord and BeReal established significant shares in the first years they’ve been measured by Pew. I guess today’s teens like apps with robust messaging features.
According to Pew’s data, YouTube has been used by 30% more U.S. teens than TikTok. On other scales, however, the ByteDance-owned app showed the true nature of its influence. It is the social platform that is used “almost constantly” by the greatest percentage of teens (17%). As expected, TikTok’s addictive algorithm is convincing young users to keep scrolling, even if other platforms boast larger numbers in terms of reach.
Pew’s findings are broken down by gender, race, and ethnicity. On three major short-form video apps — TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat — more women than men reported that they are active “almost constantly.” On YouTube, meanwhile, more men than women reported that usage level. And on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, near-constant usage is higher among Black and Hispanic teens compared to the general 13-to-17-year-old pool.
The full Pew report includes four pages of analysis related to teenage internet habits. You can check it out by clicking here.
