MORE FACT SHEETS: TEENS AND INTERNET, DEVICE ACCESS
Table of Contents
Explore the patterns and trends of U.S. teens’ experiences on different online platforms below.
Which online platforms are most common among teens
YouTube tops the list among teens, with roughly nine-in-ten saying they use the platform. TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram also remain popular – more than half of teens report using each of these sites.
Year | YouTube | TikTok | Snapchat | Discord | Twitter (X) | Twitch | BeReal | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | — | — | 41 | 52 | 71 | — | — | 33 | — | — | — |
2022 | 95 | 67 | 59 | 62 | 32 | — | 17 | 23 | 20 | 14 | — |
2023 | 93 | 63 | 60 | 59 | 33 | 28 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 13 |
Note: Figures from 2015 depicted above were collected from 2014 to 2015. Those who did not give an answer are not shown
Source: Surveys of U.S. teens conducted 2014-2023.
How use of online platforms by teens differs across demographic groups
Usage of the major online platforms can vary among teens by factors such as age, gender, and race and ethnicity.1
% of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 who say they ever use the following apps or sites
YouTube | TikTok | Snapchat | |
ALL U.S. TEENS | 93% | 63% | 60% |
GENDER | |||
Boys | 96% | 59% | 56% |
Girls | 91% | 68% | 65% |
RACE AND ETHNICITY | |||
White | 92% | 57% | 62% |
Black | 94% | 80% | 66% |
Hispanic | 96% | 70% | 59% |
AGE | |||
13-14 | 94% | 58% | 49% |
15-17 | 92% | 67% | 67% |
HOUSEHOLD INCOME | |||
<$30,000 | 93% | 71% | 65% |
$30K-$74,999 | 93% | 66% | 58% |
$75,000+ | 93% | 61% | 60% |
COMMUNITY TYPE | |||
Urban | 91% | 67% | 59% |
Suburban | 94% | 62% | 58% |
Rural | 94% | 62% | 64% |
Source: Survey of U.S. teens conducted Sept. 26-Oct. 23, 2023.
Discord | |||
---|---|---|---|
ALL U.S. TEENS | 59% | 33% | 28% |
GENDER | |||
Boys | 53% | 29% | 34% |
Girls | 66% | 36% | 22% |
RACE AND ETHNICITY | |||
White | 56% | 34% | 27% |
Black | 69% | 37% | 27% |
Hispanic | 62% | 31% | 27% |
AGE | |||
13-14 | 45% | 24% | 26% |
15-17 | 68% | 38% | 30% |
HOUSEHOLD INCOME | |||
<$30,000 | 60% | 45% | 24% |
$30K-$74,999 | 59% | 41% | 31% |
$75,000+ | 59% | 27% | 28% |
COMMUNITY TYPE | |||
Urban | 65% | 35% | 30% |
Suburban | 58% | 28% | 31% |
Rural | 55% | 40% | 21% |
Source: Survey of U.S. teens conducted Sept. 26-Oct. 23, 2023.
Twitter (X) | Twitch | ||
---|---|---|---|
ALL U.S. TEENS | 21% | 20% | 17% |
GENDER | |||
Boys | 21% | 21% | 22% |
Girls | 21% | 19% | 11% |
RACE AND ETHNICITY | |||
White | 14% | 18% | 14% |
Black | 20% | 28% | 22% |
Hispanic | 28% | 19% | 19% |
AGE | |||
13-14 | 20% | 12% | 15% |
15-17 | 21% | 25% | 18% |
HOUSEHOLD INCOME | |||
<$30,000 | 20% | 19% | 14% |
$30K-$74,999 | 25% | 22% | 17% |
$75,000+ | 19% | 19% | 17% |
COMMUNITY TYPE | |||
Urban | 28% | 21% | 18% |
Suburban | 22% | 22% | 19% |
Rural | 12% | 16% | 11% |
Source: Survey of U.S. teens conducted Sept. 26-Oct. 23, 2023.
BeReal | ||
---|---|---|
ALL U.S. TEENS | 14% | 13% |
GENDER | ||
Boys | 18% | 8% |
Girls | 10% | 19% |
RACE AND ETHNICITY | ||
White | 13% | 16% |
Black | 16% | 10% |
Hispanic | 13% | 7% |
AGE | ||
13-14 | 10% | 13% |
15-17 | 16% | 13% |
HOUSEHOLD INCOME | ||
<$30,000 | 14% | 7% |
$30K-$74,999 | 14% | 9% |
$75,000+ | 14% | 16% |
COMMUNITY TYPE | ||
Urban | 14% | 7% |
Suburban | 16% | 15% |
Rural | 10% | 14% |
Source: Survey of U.S. teens conducted Sept. 26-Oct. 23, 2023.
How often teens visit online platforms
Many teens are on social media daily – if not constantly – but daily use varies by platform. About seven-in-ten U.S. teens say they visit YouTube every day – including 16% who do so almost constantly. TikTok follows with 58% who say they visit it daily, while far fewer report daily use of Facebook.
Almost constantly | Several times a day | About once a day | Several times a week | Less often | Do not use | NET Daily | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
YouTube | 16% | 38% | 17% | 14% | 8% | 6% | 71% |
TikTok | 17% | 32% | 9% | 4% | 2% | 36% | 58% |
Snapchat | 14% | 29% | 8% | 5% | 4% | 39% | 51% |
8% | 27% | 12% | 7% | 5% | 41% | 47% | |
3% | 8% | 8% | 6% | 7% | 67% | 19% |
Note: Figures may not add up to NET values due to rounding. Those who did not give an answer are not shown.
Source: Survey of U.S. teens conducted Sept. 26-Oct. 23, 2023.
Which teens constantly visit online platforms
Differences emerge among teens, including by gender and race and ethnicity, on whether they say they are on these platforms almost constantly.
% of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 who say they visit or use the following apps or sites almost constantly
TikTok | YouTube | Snapchat | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ALL U.S. TEENS | 17% | 16% | 14% | 8% | 3% |
GENDER | |||||
Boys | 12% | 18% | 12% | 7% | 1% |
Girls | 22% | 15% | 17% | 10% | 4% |
RACE AND ETHNICITY | |||||
White | 10% | 9% | 12% | 3% | 2% |
Black | 20% | 23% | 12% | 15% | 4% |
Hispanic | 32% | 27% | 20% | 16% | 5% |
AGE | |||||
13-14 | 18% | 16% | 13% | 5% | 2% |
15-17 | 16% | 16% | 15% | 11% | 3% |
HOUSEHOLD INCOME | |||||
<$30,000 | 31% | 31% | 22% | 18% | 7% |
$30K-$74,999 | 21% | 21% | 14% | 10% | 4% |
$75,000+ | 13% | 12% | 13% | 6% | 2% |
COMMUNITY TYPE | |||||
Urban | 22% | 22% | 14% | 12% | 4% |
Suburban | 16% | 15% | 13% | 8% | 2% |
Rural | 14% | 14% | 16% | 6% | 2% |
Source: Survey of U.S. teens conducted Sept. 26-Oct. 23, 2023.
Find out more
This fact sheet was compiled by Research Analyst Michelle Faverio, with help from Research Assistant Olivia Sidoti, Digital Producer Sara Atske, Associate Information Graphics Designer Kaitlyn Radde and Temporary Researcher Eugenie Park.
Read the methodology and topline.
Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. This report was created to better understand teens’ use of digital devices, social media and other online platforms.
Follow these links for more in-depth analysis of teens and technology:
- Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023
- Connection, Creativity and Drama: Teen Life on Social Media in 2022
- Social media policies for minors: What U.S. adults and teens think
- Use of ChatGPT for schoolwork among U.S. teens
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