A new Pew Research Center survey reveals that 46% of U.S. teens report being online “almost constantly,” marking a significant increase from 24% a decade ago but remaining stable over the past few years.

The survey, conducted from September 18 to October 10, 2024, among 1,391 U.S. teens ages 13-17, finds that YouTube maintains its position as the most widely used platform, with 90% of teens reporting they use the site. This represents a slight decrease from 95% in 2022.

Source: Pew Research Center

TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat continue to see widespread adoption among teens. Approximately six in ten teens use TikTok (63%) and Instagram (61%), while 55% report using Snapchat. Meanwhile, Facebook and X usage has declined substantially over the past decade, with Facebook dropping from 71% in 2014-15 to 32% today and X falling from 33% to 17% during the same period.

The study identifies notable demographic differences in platform usage patterns. Teen girls are more likely than boys to use TikTok (66% vs. 59%) and Instagram (66% vs. 56%), while boys show higher YouTube usage (93% vs. 87%). Black and Hispanic teens report higher rates of TikTok usage (79% and 74%, respectively) compared to White teens (54%).

Age also plays a significant role in social media adoption. Teens ages 15-17 show higher usage rates across all platforms than those 13-14, with particularly pronounced differences in Instagram (72% vs. 43%) and Snapchat (63% vs. 44%) usage.

The research identifies significant variations in platform usage intensity. Among YouTube users, 73% report visiting the platform daily, with 15% describing their use as “almost constant.” For TikTok, about six in ten visits are made daily, including 16% who report almost constant use.

Household income correlates with platform preferences, with Facebook remaining more popular among teens from lower-income households. The study finds that 45% of teens in households earning less than $30,000 annually use Facebook, compared to 29% earning $75,000 or more.

Source: Pew Research Center

Device access remains high among U.S. teens, with 95% having access to smartphones, 88% to desktop or laptop computers, 83% to gaming consoles, and 70% to tablet computers. The share of teens with tablet access has increased from 65% in 2023.

Political affiliation correlates with platform usage, with Democratic-leaning teens more likely than Republican-leaning peers to use various platforms. This difference is most pronounced on TikTok, where 73% of Democratic teens report usage compared to 52% of Republican teens.

WhatsApp usage among teens has increased by 6% since 2022 to 23%, while Reddit maintains stable usage at 14%. Meta’s newer platform, Threads, included in the survey for the first time, shows adoption by 6% of teens.

The study’s methodology involved an online survey conducted through Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. Advarra, an external institutional review board specializing in protecting research participants’ rights, reviewed and approved the research.

Read the full report here.