Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand teens’ use of digital devices, social media and other online platforms.

The Center conducted an online survey of 1,391 U.S. teens from Sept. 18 to Oct. 10, 2024, through Ipsos. Ipsos recruited the teens via their parents, who were part of its

YouTube tops the list of the online platforms we asked about in our survey. Nine-in-ten teens report using the site, slightly down from 95% in 2022.

TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat remain widely used among teens. Roughly six-in-ten teens say they use TikTok and Instagram, and 55% say the same for Snapchat.

Facebook and X use have steeply declined over the past decade. Today, 32% of teens say they use Facebook. This is down from 71% in 2014-15, though the share of teens who use the site has remained stable in recent years. And 17% of teens say they use X (formerly Twitter) – about half the share who said this a decade ago (33%), and down from 23% in 2022.

Roughly one-quarter of teens (23%) say they use WhatsApp, up 6 percentage points since 2022.

And 14% of teens use Reddit, a share that has remained stable over the past few years.

We asked about Threads,

Debates about teen social media use often center on how much time teens spend on these platforms. As lawmakers explore potential regulations, our 2023 survey found a majority of Americans

Roughly half of teens say they go on Instagram or Snapchat every day, including about one-in-ten who say they’re on each of these platforms almost constantly.

The share of teens who say they use Instagram almost constantly has increased slightly, from 8% in 2023 to 12% today.  

Relatively few teens report using Facebook daily (20%).

Across all five platforms, one-third of teens use at least one of these sites almost constantly.

These findings are largely similar to

As in previous surveys, teen girls are more likely than boys to say they use TikTok almost constantly (19% vs. 13%).

Inversely, teen boys are more likely than girls to use YouTube this often. While 19% of boys say they use it almost constantly, that share drops to 11% among girls.

By race and ethnicity

Roughly one-quarter of Black (28%) or Hispanic (25%) teens say they visit TikTok almost constantly. This share drops to 8% among White teens.

By gender

Instagram and TikTok are used more widely by teen girls than teen boys. For example, 66% of girls say they use TikTok, compared with 59% of boys. Instagram use follows a similar pattern (66% vs. 56%).

On the other hand, boys are more likely than girls to say they use YouTube (93% vs. 87%).

By race and ethnicity

Among teens, a larger share of those who are Black (79%) or Hispanic (74%) than White (54%) say they use TikTok. Black and Hispanic teens also stand out compared with White teens in their use of Instagram and X.

When it comes to the messaging platform WhatsApp, Hispanic teens are more likely than Black or White teens to say they use it.

By age

Older teens are more likely than younger teens to use each of the platforms we asked about. Notably, teens ages 15 to 17 are more likely than those ages 13 to 14 say they use Instagram (72% vs. 43%) or Snapchat (63% vs. 44%).

Differences are more modest for platforms like YouTube, which most older (92%) and younger (87%) teens use.

By household income

How much time are teens spending online?

We also asked teens about how often they go online in general.

Nearly half of teens say they are online almost constantly, up from 24% a decade ago. This share has stayed consistent over the past few years.

Overall, nearly all teens – 96% – report using the internet daily.

By race and ethnicity

Hispanic and Black teens stand out in their screen time. About half or more Hispanic (58%) or Black (53%) teens say they use the internet almost constantly. That share drops to 37% among White teens.

These findings are

Our latest survey shows that large shares of teens have or have access to a smartphone (95%), desktop or laptop computer (88%), gaming console (83%), or tablet computer (70%) at home.

Overall, smartphone, computer and gaming console ownership has remained stable over the past few years. But the share of teens who say they have access to tablets has risen from 65% in 2023 to 70% today.

By age

Most teens say they have or have access to a smartphone. But older teens (98%) are slightly more likely than younger teens (90%) to say this.

Older teens are also more likely than younger teens to have or have access to a desktop or laptop computer (91% vs. 85%).

There are no differences by age when it comes to having a gaming console or tablet computer.

By household income

Access to a home computer or a tablet is most common among teens in high-income households.

• Desktop or laptop computer: 93% of teens living in households whose annual income is $75,000 or more have access to a home computer. That share falls to about eight-in-ten among those whose annual household income is $30,000 to $74,999 (81%) or less than $30,000 (78%).
• Tablet computer: About three-quarters of teens whose annual household income is $75,000 or more (73%) have access to a tablet at home, compared with 64% each among teens whose annual household income is $30,000 to $74,999 and those whose household income is less than $30,000.

By gender

Majorities of boys and girls have access to a gaming console, but boys stand out. Nine-in-ten teenage boys say they have access to a gaming console at home, while about three quarters of girls say this (76%).

For more on gender differences in video game use, read our 2023 report: Teens and Video Games Today.

Tags: Internet & Technology Social Media Teens & Tech User Demographics