WhatsApp and Teens—What Marketers Should Know

12/12/23—Is WhatsApp finally catching on with more US teens?

According to Pew Research Center's new report on teens and social media, the percentage of US teens 13-17 who ever use WhatsApp now stands at 21%, compared to 17% in 2022.

Here are a few takeaways from the data:

➡️ WhatsApp showed the largest YoY growth (4 points) among the social platforms Pew studied in both 2022 and 2023.

Facebook and Snap were up by only 1 point. Five other platforms showed declines ranging from 2 to 4 points.

Keep in mind, the margin of error for the sample was 3.2 points, which means WhatsApp's growth may or may not be statistically significant. The percentage of teens ever using WhatsApp could range from a low of roughly 18% to a high of roughly 24%.

➡️ Hispanic teens are more likely to use WhatsApp.

In this year's study, the percentage of teens ever using the app broke down as follows:

Hispanic: 28%

Black 20%

White: 14%

However, usage among Hispanic and Black teens hasn't really changed in the past year. In its 2022 study, these are the percentages that reported ever used WhatsApp:

Hispanic: 29%

Black: 19%

➡️ White teens *may* be driving WhatsApp usage growth.

The percentage ever using the app went from 10% last year to 14% this year. However, that's within the margin of error for white respondents to the study (4.5 points), so as with the overall WhatsApp growth, it may or may not be statistically significant.

So ... should marketers targeting teens take WhatsApp more seriously?

Maybe.

It might have momentum, but there's not enough data in this study to definitively say yes.

It's nowhere near being a dominant platform like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat.

But for teens with friends or relatives in other countries, WhatsApp is likely an important part of their day.