Are Teens Using Social Media Less? Maybe. Or Maybe Not.
12/11/23—YouTube towers over all other social platforms when it comes to teen usage. More than 9 in 10 say they ever use it -- 30 points above the Number 2 platform.
If you still need proof that video is king for teens, this chart from Pew Research Center's annual teen study has it.
But look further and you'll see something else that's intriguing: For several platforms -- even TikTok -- the percentage of teens who said they "ever" use it has gone down year over year. Is this a red flag signaling that teens are less likely to use some platforms?
Not quite.
The study's margin of error was more than 3 points, which means most of the year over year shifts are not statistically significant.
But I still can't take my eyes off that TikTok change ... 4 points YoY.
Even if it's not statistically significant, it makes me wonder. Something to keep an eye on in 2024.
Another takeaway is the way the platforms are grouped. There's YouTube at the top, then a cluster of three very dominant platforms, and then well below that, the rest of the pack.
To reach teens, marketers need to be on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.
