Posted by So much for reading books, practicing an instrument, or long talks on the phone with friends about nothing and everything. Today’s teens seem addicted to digital.
Even as the CDC came out in October linking social media use to mental health struggles in teenagers, a new Pew Research study says nearly half of US teens admit to being online “almost constantly.”
The self-administered web survey studying responses of over 1,300 teens, plus one parent per teen, was conducted from September to October this year. The survey also broke down which social media platforms are used most per demographic.
The study titled Teens, Social Media, and Technology 2024, revealed that 46 percent of teens from ages 13 to 17 say they are online almost continuously – a 24 percent increase from teens just ten years ago.
Almost all teens surveyed – 96 percent – say they go online every day. Ninety five percent of teens report having access to a smartphone.
So where are teens spending all this time? The most popular platform by far among teens surveyed is YouTube – 73 percent say they go on YouTube every day, and 15 percent say they’re on the platform “almost constantly.”
TikTok ranked second in popularity, with 57 percent of teens visiting at least once a day, and 16 percent saying they use it “almost constantly.” Approximately half the teens in the survey say they go on Instagram and/or Snapchat at least once a day. Facebook was the least used social platform by teens, with just 20 percent saying they visit once a day.
Gender influenced the survey results as well. Pew’s research found more teen girls prefer to use Instagram and TikTok, while teen boys were more likely to report using YouTube. Only 17 percent of teens overall reported using X, just 14 percent go on Reddit, and only 6 percent use Threads.
Mounting research continues to cast suspicion on the mental health effects of teens spending so much time on social media. In response, Australia recently made a landmark decision to ban social media for all children under age 16.
The sweeping ruling is one of the first of its kind. Will it be a harbinger of things to come, with other countries passing similar legislation? Or will the social media swell continue to consume teens’ every waking hour? Keep reading here.