About half of American teenagers are using social media “almost constantly,” according to a new study published on Thursday.
Forty-six percent of children aged 13 to 17 admitted to spending the majority of their time on either Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, or YouTube, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center. The survey was conducted between September 18 and October 10.
That number is up 24 percent from a decade ago, but the research center said it’s consistent with its findings over the last few years. Overall, 96 percent of teens report using the internet daily. Teens said they were using smartphones, computers, gaming consoles and tablets to access the web. Most teens reported having access to a smartphone.
Seventy-five percent of teens aged 15 to 17 are more likely to use social media than teens aged 13 to 14 of whom only 43 percent used the apps as frequently. The older teens also reported being on the internet almost constantly.
Teenagers said they used YouTube more than any other social platform followed by TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. Facebook, X, WhatsApp, Reddit and Threads were the least used by teens.
The teens reported differences in their social media habits. Those identifying as Democrat or Democratic-leaning were more likely to use TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and WhatsApp than their Republican counterparts.
Seventy-three percent of Democratic teens used TikTok compared with 52 percent of Republican teens who reported using the platform.
Hispanic and Black teens used the internet most, the research center reported, with more than half of the demographic using the internet nearly around the clock. In contrast, thirty-seven percent of white teens reported using social media for the same amount of time.
Teens in lower-income households are more likely than those in higher-income homes to use TikTok. There were few to no racial or ethnic differences in teens visiting Snapchat and Facebook on a near-constant basis, the report stated.
Teenage girls and boys reported using different platforms compared with the other gender. Nineteen percent of teen girls reported using TikTok almost constantly compared to 13 percent of teen boys.
A 2023 survey from the group reported that an overwhelming majority of Americans support time limits for minors on social media. In that survey, 81 percent of US adults favored parental consent for minors using social media compared with 46 percent of teens.
The report comes as the US continues to seek a ban on TikTok, the second-most popular app for teenage participants. ByteDance has been ordered to divest from the app by January 19 or face a national ban.
