YouTube Dominates Teen Social Media Usage, Far Ahead of TikTok

YouTube Dominates Teen Social Media Usage, Far Ahead of TikTok

By Marcus Hartley

December 13, 2024 at 11:39 PM

A comprehensive Pew Research Center study reveals significant trends in teen social media usage, with YouTube maintaining its dominant position among U.S. teens aged 13-17.

Bar graph: teen social media preferences

Bar graph: teen social media preferences

Key Findings:

  • YouTube leads with 90% usage among teens (slight decrease from 95% in 2022)
  • TikTok and Instagram each reach approximately 60% of teens
  • Snapchat maintains strong presence with 55% usage
  • Facebook continues decline to 32% (down from 71% in 2014-2015)
  • X (formerly Twitter) usage drops to 17% (down from 33% a decade ago)

Daily Usage Patterns:

  • About 50% of teens use Instagram and Snapchat daily
  • 10% report "almost constant" use of major platforms
  • Instagram's "almost constant" usage increased from 8% to 12% since 2023
  • One-third of teens use at least one platform "almost constantly"

Gender Differences:

  • Girls show higher TikTok engagement (19% vs. 13% for boys)
  • Boys prefer YouTube (19% vs. 11% for girls)
  • Similar Snapchat usage between genders (13% boys, 12% girls)

Demographic Insights:

  • Black and Hispanic teens show higher engagement with TikTok (28% and 25% respectively vs. 8% for white teens)
  • Lower-income households (<$30,000/year) show higher Facebook usage (45%)
  • Middle-income ($30,000-$74,999) Facebook usage: 35%
  • Higher-income (>$75,000) Facebook usage: 29%

Methodology: Survey conducted online with 1,391 U.S. teens through Ipsos KnowledgePanel, September-October 2024, weighted to represent U.S. teens ages 13-17.

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