According to a report published this Tuesday (9) by the Pew Research Center, the majority of American teenagers use YouTube and TikTok daily, and around one in five say they are on one of these two platforms “almost constantly”.
The study, which analyzed the habits of 1,458 adolescents aged 13 to 17, suggests that despite growing concerns about potential mental health risks, young people are not giving up their cell phones and continue to spend much of their time browsing social media, watching videos or consulting artificial intelligence chatbots.
While YouTube was by far the most popular social media platform, used daily by about three-quarters of study participants, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat continue to be very popular with teens. Facebook is used by fewer young people.
“About a third of teens report being on at least one of five social networks almost constantly — and that number has remained stable for several years,” said Michelle Faverio, a research associate at Pew and one of the lead authors of the new report.
She noted that the report found that Black and Hispanic teens were especially likely to report using YouTube, TikTok and Instagram almost constantly. Girls were more likely than boys to use Snapchat and Instagram, while boys used Reddit and YouTube more than girls.
The report also reveals that many teenagers use AI chatbots regularly. Sixty-four percent of teens reported using an AI chatbot, and 28% said they do so daily. Sixteen percent say they use these resources several times a day or almost constantly.
ChatGPT, from OpenAI, was the most used chatbot, followed by Gemini and Meta AI. A much smaller group of teens reported using chatbots like Character.ai.
Eileen Kennedy-Moore, a psychologist in Princeton, New Jersey, who was not involved in the report, said the findings are not necessarily surprising, although she understands why they might raise concerns among parents and guardians.
“Online life is a part of kids’ lives,” she said, adding, “It’s not that watching one YouTube video is going to turn them into pumpkins, but if they’re online almost constantly, what are they missing?”
While parents often worry about the number of hours per day their children spend in front of screens, studying the actual effects remains a challenge. Many researchers examining the relationship between screens and young people’s mental health caution against the risk of overgeneralizations. A study published this summer, for example, found that more screen time at age 10 was not necessarily associated with higher rates of suicidal behavior, but compulsive or addictive drinking was.
Dr. Kennedy-Moore said one of her biggest concerns about children and teens who report almost constant use of social media platforms or artificial intelligence tools is the loss of opportunities for in-person connection and friendship. According to her, chatbots can provide frictionless dynamics that do not contribute to the development of essential social skills. Additionally, spending too much time in front of screens can interfere with physical activity and sleep.
A study published this month in the journal Pediatrics found that children who owned a smartphone by age 12 were at greater risk of depression, obesity and lack of sleep than those who did not yet own a device.
Recently, efforts to restrict adolescents’ access to electronic devices and social media platforms have gained momentum. Several states have banned cell phone use during school hours, a measure with bipartisan support. Australia recently became the first country to ban children under 16 from using social media.
Nonetheless, Dr Kennedy-Moore said the burden of protecting children online continues to fall largely on parents and guardians.
“If your child is young enough to go to bed, their electronic devices should have a bedtime, too,” she said. “I can tell you, as a healthcare professional, that nothing good happens on these devices in the middle of the night. »
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