YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat have emerged as the most popular online hangouts for U.S. teens, surpassing the once-dominant Facebook, according to a new study released today by Pew Research Center.
Fifty-one percent American teens ages 13-17 say they use Facebook. But that number is dwarfed by the 85% who report using YouTube, 72% who use Instagram, and 69% who are on Snapchat.
That represents a major shift in the social media landscape that Facebook commanded as recently as Pew’s 2014-2015 survey, and represents another blow for a company that’s attracted widespread criticism of its data privacy practices in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
“The social media environment among teens is quite different from what it was just three years ago,” said Monica Anderson, lead author of the report. “Back then, teens’ social media use mostly revolved around Facebook. Today, their habits revolve less around a single platform.”
Pew found that changing social media patterns are taking place as digital technology continues to evolve. Smartphones are a nearly ubiquitous accessory among teens, 95% percent of whom say they own or have access to one. This is leading to increased connectivity, with nearly half of teens saying they’re online “almost constantly.”
This survey of 743 U.S. teens ages 13-17 was conducted from March 7-April 10.
Pew also found that a substantial majority (88%) of teens have access to a computer at home, but there is still a lack of access among lower-income families. Only about three-quarters of teens have access to a laptop or desktop in households earning less than $30,000.
Most teens say they play video games. About 8 in 10 girls say they play video games, either on a computer, game console or cellphone. That rate is even higher among boys, 97% of whom say they play video games in some fashion.
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