Teens in US mostly likely watching YouTube right now, Pew survey says
(WISH) –Teens’ use of social media hasn’t dropped much despite rising concerns about its effects on the mental health of adolescents, according to a U.S. survey that the Pew Research Institute released this week.
According to The Associated Press, the data also found that roughly 1 in 6 teens described their use of two platforms — YouTube and TikTok — as “almost constant.”
Other results: 71% of teens said they visited YouTube at least daily, and 16% described their use as “almost constant. Also, 58% of the teens daily used TikTok, and 17% said they used TikTok almost constantly.
About half of the teens used Snapchat and Instagram. “Almost constantly” use figures for Snapchat and Instagram came in at 14% and 8% respectively.
YouTube remained by far the most popular; 93% responded that they use the service. That number was down two percentage points from 2022. Runners-up were TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, trailing YouTube by 30 percentage points or more.
Three of the four platforms showed slight drops in use over the past year, according to the survey. The exception, Snapchat, rose a single percentage point.
Teens’ use of Facebook dropped to 33% in 2023 from 71% in 2014-15. Only 19% of teens reported checking Facebook daily or more frequently. Just 3% described their Facebook use as almost constant.
Social media has increasingly taken fire over the algorithmic techniques that platforms use to draw in and retain younger users. In October, a coalition of 33 states, including Indiana, sued Meta Platforms for contributing to the mental health crisis among youths. The lawsuit alleged that the company knowingly and deliberately designed features on Instagram and Facebook that addicted children to its platforms. Meta has denied the charges.