Youth and Social Media

How US Kids and Teens Use Platforms From TikTok to Snapchat to YouTube

Report by Jasmine Enberg  | Mar 8, 2024
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Executive Summary
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
2024 will be a pivotal year for youth safety on social media
Social media is a core part of young people’s lives
Among kids, YouTube trumps all platforms
Teen social media usage is more fragmented
What are the implications for marketers and the platforms?
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
Social media is an integral part of the digital lives of US consumers under age 18. What they see and how they behave on social also has real-world impact, which has resulted in increasing scrutiny from consumers and lawmakers.
Topics
Social Media Usage
Children
Teens
United States
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
2024 will be a pivotal year for youth safety on social media
Social media is a core part of young people’s lives
Among kids, YouTube trumps all platforms
Teen social media usage is more fragmented
What are the implications for marketers and the platforms?
Sources
Media Gallery

Popularity among young people is now both a strength and a liability for the social platforms. This year, marketers will have to navigate a complex web of negative consumer perceptions, changing platform restrictions, and budding legislation that could impact how kids and teens use social media.

Key Question: How are young people using social media, and what does the growing scrutiny from consumers and lawmakers mean for marketers?

Frequency With Which US Teens Use Select Social Media Platforms, Oct 2023 (% of respondents in each group)
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Key Stat: Roughly half of US teens ages 13 to 17 use TikTok (49%) and YouTube (54%) at least several times daily, per an October 2023 survey from Pew Research Center.

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Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. 2024 will be a pivotal year for youth safety on social media
  3. Social media is a core part of young people’s lives
  1. Among kids, YouTube trumps all platforms
  2. Teen social media usage is more fragmented
  3. What are the implications for marketers and the platforms?
  1. Sources
  2. Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

Frequency With Which US Teens Use Select Social Media Platforms, Oct 2023 (% of respondents in each group)Reasons Why US Teens Use Social Media, by Daily Time Spent on Social Media, July 2023 (% of respondents)
Platforms/Channels on Which US Children Recall Seeing Commercials Recently, Oct 2023 (% of respondents)US Social Media and Digital Video Platform Users Under Age 11, 2024 (millions)
US Teens' Favorite Social Media Platform, Fall 2021-Fall 2023 (% of respondents)Weekly Usage of TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram by US Teens, 2022 & 2023 (% of respondents)

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authors

Jasmine Enberg

Contributors

Minda Smiley
Senior Analyst, Social Media
Tracy Tang
Senior Researcher
Paul Verna
Principal Analyst