Nearly Half of Teens Are 'Constantly Online,' Study Finds

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46% of American teens say they are constantly online, according to a study by the Pew Research Center, a research center dedicated to analyzing social, political, and demographic trends. A figure that highlights the growing importance of digital platforms and smartphones in the lives of young people, despite the dangers they represent.

More connected than ever

The researchers surveyed teenagers aged 13 to 17 to arrive at these results. They found that they are more digitally connected than ever. For example, 95% of them have a smartphone, compared to 88% for a computer. 83% have access to a game console and 70% to a tablet.

Almost half of teenagers, or 46%, say they are almost constantly online. This is almost double the number from 10 years ago, although the proportion has remained stable for several years. Overall, 96% of respondents say they use the Internet daily.

YouTube, TikTok and Instagram lead the way

The platform they use the most is none other than YouTube. 90% of teens visit it regularly, and 73% visit it daily. Unsurprisingly, TikTok comes in second. The Chinese app is used by around 60% of them, with 16% saying they are on it “almost constantly”. In this context, its possible ban in the United States would be very hotly contested…

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Instagram records roughly the same performance, with 60% of study participants using the app, including 12% almost all the time, compared to 8% in 2023. Snapchat, for its part, is used by 55% of teenagers. “Around one in ten respondents say they are on each of these platforms almost constantly,” the study specifies.

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Facebook continues its slide

For its part, Facebook continues its transformation into a platform dedicated to older generations… The use of the world's most popular social network by teenagers has plummeted sharply over the last decade, going from 71% to just 32% today.

The same goes for X, formerly Twitter. Only 17% of participants visit the platform, almost half of the 33% recorded ten years ago, and a drop from the 23% recorded in 2022.

These staggering figures on the overuse of online platforms by adolescents prove that better regulation is necessary to protect against their harmful effects. Social networks lead to risks of addiction, especially among young users. Likewise, they can affect their mental health.

• A study found that 46% of American teens say they are “constantly online.”
• 95% of them own a smartphone.
• YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are the most popular platforms among 13-17 year olds.

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