In case you were lying awake at night wondering which social media apps teens actually use, Pew Research has come through with answers. And yes, the results are exactly what you think they are.
As Australia moves forward with a ban on social media use for kids under 16, Pew dropped a fresh report based on a survey of 1,458 U.S. teens ages 13 to 17, looking at both social media and AI usage. The findings are useful, interesting, and also a little bit “we could have guessed this without a chart.”
According to Pew, YouTube remains the most-used platform among teens, by a wide margin. After that, it’s TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat rounding out the top tier.
Facebook, WhatsApp, Reddit, and X (formerly Twitter, currently confused) trail far behind.
This isn’t a revelation. If someone stopped you on the street and asked which apps teens use, you’d probably list these four without blinking. What is interesting is how far Facebook and X have fallen over time. Once platforms tip too far into “adult internet,” teens quietly pack up and leave. They don’t make announcements. They just vanish and find somewhere cooler.
If you’re trying to reach teen audiences, this list tells you exactly where not to waste your time. Spoiler: It’s not Facebook.
Pew didn’t stop at “which apps do you have?” They also looked at which apps teens use most often, and this is where things get more telling.
YouTube and TikTok dominate daily usage. TikTok especially stands out, with 21% of teens saying they use it almost constantly. Almost constantly. That’s not scrolling on a lunch break. That’s TikTok as background noise for life.
TikTok’s algorithm deserves some credit here. It figures out what you like faster than most people do, then feeds it back to you nonstop. Trends, creators, chaos, and oddly specific humor, all delivered with zero effort required.
This data confirms what everyone already feels: TikTok isn’t just an app for teens. It’s part of teen culture.
YouTube, meanwhile, remains the steady anchor. It’s where teens go for long-form content, creators they trust, tutorials, gaming, commentary, and yes, MrBeast blowing up another thing.
This is where things get interesting. Pew’s data makes it clear how deeply TikTok is woven into teen life in the U.S. Which raises the obvious question: what happens if TikTok is banned?
The possibility is still on the table due to the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” and as of now, there’s no public agreement on a divestment plan.
If TikTok disappears, that attention doesn’t magically vanish. It moves. Somewhere. Probably fast.
YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and whatever new app launches five minutes later would feel the impact immediately. Teen behavior adapts quickly. Platforms don’t get loyalty points.
Pew also broke down usage by gender, and again, the patterns track. Teen girls are more likely to use TikTok and Instagram. Teen boys lean more heavily toward YouTube.
This likely ties back to gaming culture and creators who came up through that space. Names like MrBeast, IShowSpeed, and others dominate YouTube feeds and attract massive male audiences, even when the content moves beyond gaming.
Different interests, different platforms, same endless scroll.
One of the more underrated findings in the report has nothing to do with social media at all. About 64% of teens say they use AI chatbots. Only 36% say they don’t. That’s a big deal.
This generation is growing up with generative AI as a normal part of life, not a novelty. Tools like ChatGPT aren’t “new technology” to them. They’re just tools. That alone will shape how they search, learn, create, and interact online moving forward.
For anyone building platforms, content, or products, this matters more than another TikTok stat.
If you’re trying to understand teens, market to teens, or build for the next generation, the message is simple. Go where they already are. Pay attention to how often they show up. And don’t assume today’s dominant platform will stay dominant forever.
Because teens have never cared about brand loyalty. They care about what works right now. And they’ll leave the second it doesn’t.
