Teenagers always want to keep up with new trends, feel connected with their network, and to show what’s going on with their lives.

And there is no better way to achieve these than using social network sites. 

What Percent of Teens Use Social Network Sites like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram?

According to a study released by Pew Research Center, 51% of teens in the United States still use Facebook.

Meanwhile, a larger percentage of 69% are on the photo and video-sharing app Snapchat.

The most popular among the three platforms is Instagram, with 72% of US teens admitting to using the platform.

What is impressive is the difference in the degree of usage of these sites.

35% of participants say they use Snapchat more than any other social network – higher than the 15% who answered Instagram.

This means that despite the majority of teenagers using the Meta-owned Instagram, Snapchat is obviously at an advantage in terms of how often they are used.

Global Social Media Penetration

Now that we have the answer to the percentage of teens using social network sites like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram, let’s take a deeper look at the root of all usage: the global social media penetration per country. 

What percentage of each region’s population uses social media in January 2023? Take a look at this data posted by the survey site Statista.

Europe

• North Europe – 83.6% of people in the region use social networking sites
• West Europe – 83.3% of people in the region use social networking sites
• South Europe – 76.7% of people in the region use social networking sites
• East Europe – 70.5% of people in the region use social networking sites

Americas

• North America – 73.9% of people in the region use social networking sites
• South America – 71.3% of people in the region use social networking sites
• Central America – 67.5% of people in the region use social networking sites

Asia 

• East Asia – 72.0% of people in the region use social networking sites
• Southeast Asia – 63.7% of people in the region use social networking sites
• West Asia – 63.6% of people in the region use social networking sites
• South Asia – 32.5% of people in the region use social networking sites

Oceania and Caribbean 

• Oceania – 62.0% of people in the region use social networking sites
• Caribbean – 50.6% of people in the region use social networking sites

Africa

• North Africa – 48.8% of people in the region use social networking sites
• South Africa – 41.3% of people in the region use social networking sites
• West Africa – 13.3% of people in the region use social networking sites
• East Africa – 8.4% of people in the region use social networking sites
• Middle Africa – 7.4% of people in the region use social networking sites

As can be seen from the data, the African region has the lowest social media penetration rate globally. The result is significantly lower than the global average of 59.4%. 

Positive Reasons Why Teens Use Social Networking Sites 

A good percent of teens use social network sites like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram for positive reasons.

Here are some of them:

• Connecting with family and friends – 40% of teens site this reason for using social networking sites
• To easily find news and information – 16% of teens site this reason for using social networking sites
• Meeting other people with the same interest – 15% of teens site this reason for using social networking sites
• Entertainment – 9% of teens site this reason for using social networking sites
• Self-expression – 7% of teens site this reason for using social networking sites
• Getting support from others – 5% of teens site this reason for using social networking sites
• Learning new things – 4% of teens site this reason for using social networking sites

Negative Side of Using Social Networking Sites

Here are some of the negative feedback from teenagers when asked about social media’s effect on their age group:

• Bullying and spreading of rumors – 27% of teens say using social media arouses this issue in their lives
• Harming a relationship – 17% of teens say using social media arouses this issue in their lives
• Unrealistic look at other people’s lives – 15% of teens say using social media arouses this issue in their lives
• Causes addiction – 14% of teens say using social media arouses this issue in their lives
• Peer pressure – 12% of teens say using social media arouses this issue in their lives
• Causing mental health issues – 4% of teens say using social media arouses this issue in their lives
• Creates drama – 3% of teens say using social media arouses this issue in their lives

Most Popular Social Networking Sites Among Teenagers in 2022

Below is data detailing the percentage of teens using every listed social media site in 2022.

• YouTube – 95% of teens say they used this platform at least once during the year
• TikTok – 67% of teens say they used this platform at least once during the year
• Instagram – 62% of teens say they used this platform at least once during the year
• Snapchat – 59% of teens say they used this platform at least once during the year
• Facebook – 32% of teens say they used this platform at least once during the year
• Twitter – 23% of teens say they used this platform at least once during the year
• Twitch – 20% of teens say they used this platform at least once during the year
• WhatsApp – 17% of teens say they used this platform at least once during the year
• Reddit – 14% of teens say they used this platform at least once during the year
• Tumblr – 5% of teens say they used this platform at least once during the year

Conclusion

Nowadays, teenagers are more inclined to use Snapchat and Instagram than they are with Facebook.

As the popular saying goes, Facebook is for old people.

Sources