Nearly half of American teenagers – children ages 13 to 17 - say they are online “constantly” despite concerns about the effects of social media and smartphones on their mental health.

 

The information comes from a report that was recently released by the Pew Research Center.

 

As in past years, YouTube was the most popular platform teenagers used. Around 90 percent said they watched videos on the website, down slightly from 95 percent in 2022. Nearly 75 percent of those questioned said they visit YouTube every day.

 

There was a small downward change in several popular apps teens used. For example, 63 percent of teens said they used TikTok, down from 67 percent. Snapchat use went to 55 percent from 59 percent. This small decline could be due to pandemic-era restrictions easing up and kids having more time to see friends in person. But the change is probably not big enough to be truly meaningful.

FILE - Mikael Makonnen, 18, a freshman at American University, poses for a photo in Washington, D.C, on Saturday, March 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Almaz Abedje, file)

 

X saw the biggest decline among teenage users. Only 17 percent of teenagers said they use X, down from 23 percent in 2022, the year Elon Musk bought the platform.

 

Reddit usage remained the same at 14 percent. About 6 percent of teenagers said they use Threads, answer to X that launched in 2023.

 

The report comes as countries around the world try to understand the effects of social media on young people’s well-being.

 

Australia recently passed a law banning children under 16 from social networks. Still, it is unclear how the Australian government will be able to enforce the age limit. It is also unclear whether such a ban will come with unexpected or bad effects, such as isolating some children.

 

messaging service WhatsApp was different in that it saw the number of teenage users increase to 23 percent from 17 percent in 2022.

 

Pew also asked teenagers how often they use different online platforms. A small but notable number said they are on them “almost constantly.” For YouTube, 15 percent reported constant use, for TikTok, 16 percent, and for Snapchat, 13 percent.

 

As in previous public opinion studies, girls were more likely to use TikTok almost constantly while boys went to YouTube. There was no meaningful gender difference in the use of Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.

 

Around 25 percent of Black and Hispanic teens said they visit TikTok almost constantly, compared with just 8 percent of white teenagers.

 

The report was based on a public opinion study of 1,391 U.S. teenagers that ran from September 18 to October 10, 2024.

 

 

Words in This Story

constantly – adv. always, without change

platform – n. a website or app that serves as a base from which a service is provided

app – n. (short for application) a program that performs a task or set of tasks

isolate -- v. to separate or set apart from others