Most US teens use YouTube and TikTok daily, some ‘almost constantly’, survey says

NEW YORK – Most American teenagers use YouTube and TikTok daily, according to a report released on Dec 9 by the Pew Research Center, and roughly one in five said they were on one of the two platforms “almost constantly”.

The survey, which looked at the habits of 1,458 teens between ages 13 and 17, suggests that despite growing concern over the potential mental health risks, teens are not putting down their phones, spending much of their time scrolling through social media, watching videos or consulting chatbots powered by artificial intelligence.

While YouTube was far and away the most popular social media platform, used daily by three-quarters of participants in the study, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat remain highly popular with teens. Fewer use Facebook.

“Roughly a third of teens say that they’re on at least one of the five almost constantly – and that number has stayed steady for several years now,” said Ms Michelle Faverio, a research associate with Pew and a lead author on the new report.

The report also revealed that many teens regularly use AI chatbots.

Sixty-four per cent of the teens said they had used an AI chatbot, and 28 per cent said they did so daily. Sixteen per cent said they used chatbots several times a day, or almost constantly.

Open AI’s ChatGPT was the most commonly used chatbot, followed by Gemini and Meta AI. A much smaller group of teens reported using chatbots such as Character.ai.

Dr Eileen Kennedy-Moore, a psychologist in Princeton, New Jersey, who was not involved in the new report, said the findings are not necessarily surprising, though she understood why they may raise alarms for parents and caregivers.

Dr Kennedy-Moore said one of her primary concerns is that children are missing opportunities for in-person connection and friendship, and that chatbots can offer a dynamic that does not help teens develop key social skills. NYTIMES