Social media use among teenagers has not declined much, despite growing concerns about its impact on adolescent mental health, according to a Pew Research Institute study.
But the data also revealed that around one in six teenagers described their use of the two platforms - YouTube and TikTok - as "almost constant".
Seventy-one percent of the teenagers surveyed said they visit YouTube at least once a day. According to the survey, 16 percent described their use as "almost constant." A slightly larger group - 17 percent - said they use TikTok almost constantly. Those figures for Snapchat and Instagram were 14 percent and eight percent.
YouTube remains by far the most popular social platform among teenagers, with 93 percent saying they use it. That number is down two percentage points from 2022. TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram are in second place, although all three trail YouTube by 30 or more percent.
According to the survey, three of those four platforms showed a slight decline in usage over the past year. The exception is Snapchat, which grew by one percent.
Facebook usage among teenagers has fallen to 33 percent in 2023 from 71 percent in 2014/15. Only 19 percent of teenagers reported checking Facebook daily or more often. Only three percent describe their use as almost constant
Social networks have come under increasing criticism for the algorithmic techniques they use to attract and retain younger users. In October, a coalition of 33 states, including New York and California, sued Meta for contributing to the youth mental health crisis, alleging that the company knowingly and intentionally designed features on Instagram and Facebook that made children addicted to its platforms. Meta rejected the accusations.
The Pew survey was conducted from September 26 to October 23 with 1.453 teenagers aged 13 to 17.
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