Most teens and parents are comfortable with how much time teens spend on smartphones, social media

Key stat: 51% of US teens and parents think teens spend the right amount of time on smartphones, while 64% think they spend the right amount of time on social media, according to October 2023 data from Pew Research Center.

Beyond the chart:

• While we don’t forecast time spent behavior for teens, US adults aged 18 to 24 spend more time than any other generation on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram.
• YouTube is by far teens’ favorite platform, but TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are all also popular, according to Pew.
• Teens primarily use social media for entertainment and connection, per a July 2023 study from Gallup and the Institute for Family Studies.

Use this chart:

• Demonstrate teens’ relationship with smartphones and social media.
• Understand social media marketing audiences.

More like this:

• Social media is a core part of young people’s lives
• Social media marketers urge others to prepare, not panic, for TikTok ban
• Gen Z prefers to research brands on social media over search engines
• The top social channels where consumers interact with brands

Methodology: Data is from the March 2024 Pew Research Center report titled "How Teens and Parents Approach Screen Time," conducted by Ipsos KnowledgePanel. 1,453 U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 and one parent were surveyed online during September 26-October 23, 2023. The samples are weighted to be representative by age, gender, race and ethnicity, household income and other categories.