Despite reports about the negative impact of social media on young users and their digital presence, it appears that the youth of today cannot have enough daily doses of Alphabet Inc.'s
What Happened: As per the latest survey report of Pew Research Center titled "Teens, Social Media and Technology 2023," YouTube, Snap Inc.'s
YouTube and TikTok are the most frequently used platforms, followed by Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. "A third of teens use at least one of these five sites almost constantly - which is similar to what we found last year."
The report also revealed that compared to a decade ago, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) usage has reduced considerably among American teens.
"Facebook once dominated the social media landscape among America's youth, but the share of teens who use the site has dropped from 71% in 2014-2015 to 33% today," the report stated, adding, "Twitter, which was renamed X in July 2023, has also seen its teen user base shrink during the past decade - albeit at a less steep decline than Facebook."
The survey was conducted between Sept. 26 to Oct. 23 and involved 1,453 teens between the ages of 13 to 17. It covered topics such as social media, internet use, and device ownership among U.S. teens.
Why It's Important: Over the past few years, the conversation around banning TikTok has been around. People are concerned about the platform being owned by a Chinese company.
Just last month, Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) asserted that China was influencing content to push a pro-Palestine agenda on TikTok.
However, in November, it was also reported that President Joe Biden might be planning to join TikTok to appeal to younger voters - a decision that could be controversial.
