Pew study: Nearly half of U.S. teens say they’re online ‘almost constantly’

Teens’ social media use — and its effect on their mental health — is often in the news, and new research from the Pew Research Center states that nearly half of American teens are “almost constantly” online.

In its Teens, Social Media, and Technology 2024 study, released on Thursday, Pew stated that nearly half (46 percent) of today’s teens aged 13 to 17 say they’re online almost constantly. While this figure is consistent with 2022 and 2023 research, this is a 24 percent increase from a decade ago.

Nearly all (96 percent) of teens say they go online daily, which is around how many (95 percent) have access to a smartphone.

46 percent of teens say they’re online almost constantly.
Credit: Pew Research Center

This report is based on a self-administered web survey of 1,391 U.S. teens and a parent per teen, conducted between September and October this year.

Pew also broke down which platforms teens frequently visit, and how many said they’re on them nearly constantly: 16 percent said they’re “almost constantly” on TikTok, while 15 percent said the same about YouTube, 13 percent about Snapchat, 12 percent about Instagram, and three percent on Facebook.

More teens say they go on these platforms once or more daily. Overall, 73 percent say they’re on YouTube, teens’ most frequented social media platform, at least once a day. Fifty-seven percent say they go on TikTok at least once a day, and around half go on Instagram and/or Snapchat once a day. Facebook is the least-visited, but rounds out the top five, with 20 percent of teens saying they go on at least once a day.

How many teens frequently visit platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
Credit: Pew Research Center

Pew found that more teen girls use Instagram and TikTok, while boys are more likely to say they use YouTube. Fewer teens use X (17 percent), Reddit (14 percent), and Threads (6 percent).

This research comes amid scrutiny of social media platforms and how they impact teens. In October, the CDC confirmed there is a link between social media use and mental health struggles for teens, and Australia recently banned social media for children under 16.