A Pew Research study that looks at the social media habit of teenagers in the U.S. found out that YouTube is the dominant social media used by teens. A total of 95 percent of teens ages 13 to 17 said they are using the video streaming platform.
Next to YouTube is TikTok at 67 percent. Of this number, 16 percent of the teens claimed that are on the app "almost constantly," as per Engadget.
The third most popular social media site among teens is Instagram, with 62 percent. According to Engadget, tenth of the teens said they are on it almost all the time, even if the app occasionally reminds them to take a break, according to Washington Post.
Social Media Platforms that Rose in Ranking
In the last years, Snapchat became quite popular among teens as it rose with 59 percent in the latest survey, compared to the 41 percent in the previous poll.
Seven years ago, Facebook was the top social media app being used by teens, with 71 percent. However, the app fall below in ranking as the it dropped to 32 percent.
Teens use of Twitter was down from 33 percent to 23 percent, while Tumblr's usage was also down from 14 percent to five percent.
During the 2014-15, Pew didn't ask about Twitch, WhatsApp or Reddit. But in the recent poll it was found out that a fifth of teens use Twitch. A total of 17 percent are using WhatsApp, while 14 percent of teens are on Reddit.
The 2014-15 poll showed that 33 percent of teens used Google+, and a quarter of them used Vine. In the recent poll, Pew didn't include Discord or social gaming spaces such as Fortnite in the survey.
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Teens Have Spoken About Their Social Media Consumption
A total of 1,316 teens aged 13 to 17 were surveyed by Pew in April and May. The poll found out also that boys were more likely to use YouTube, Twitch and Reddit. On the other hand, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat were the app preferred by girls.
Another interesting finding is there are "more Black and Hispanic teens that used TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp than white teens," as per Engadget.
Over half or 54 percent of the surveyed teens stated that they'd find it difficult to give up social media. On the other hand, there are 36 percent who admitted that they have a tendency to spend too much time on the platforms.
Around 55 percent of the teens stated that their levels of using the social media apps were just "about right." Of all the teens surveyed, 97 percent said that they are utilizing the internet every day, with 46 percent stating that almost all the time, they are online.
Pew's research also found out that 95 percent of teens have access to a smartphone. This is an increase from 73 percent in 2014-15.
In addition, 90 percent of teens can access a desktop or laptop computer, which is up from 87 percent in the previous poll. On the other hand, the percentage of teens that have access to a gaming console went down a bit, from 81 percent to 80 percent.
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