Instagram and TikTok Remain the Most Popular Social Apps Among Teens

Instagram remains the most used social app among teens, though TikTok is more popular as an entertainment source.

That’s according to the latest research conducted by Piper Sandler, which looks at teen trends of note, and how they’re shifting over time.

Based on an annual survey of more than 13,000 U.S. teens, Piper Sandler found that Netflix ranks slightly higher than YouTube in daily video consumption, while TikTok beat out IG as the most liked social app.

Yet, in terms of usage, Instagram is still number one, gaining some 7 percentage points since the last survey. TikTok came in second (+5%) followed by Snapchat (-3%).

Which is no surprise. Younger audiences have always gravitated towards these apps, though as you can see, Snapchat has lost some ground in the latest Piper Sandler survey.

In terms of other social platforms, Pinterest is generating more interest than in the past (+6%), while Facebook has also seen a slight resurgence (+2%). The platform formerly known as Twitter, meanwhile, declined in usage by the same amount among teens (-2%).

The fact that Instagram remains popular could relate to user social graphs, and established networks in the app, while Meta’s shift towards AI-recommended content, which not everyone is a fan of, has also increased time spent in the app. Indeed, just last week, Meta reported that there are now 40 million young adults using Facebook across the US and Canada every day, the highest level in more than three years.

In terms of strategic planning, these insights probably don’t change your targeting, as these were likely the platforms you were looking at already if you were trying to reach younger users. But maybe Pinterest is worth a look, while Facebook’s improving AI ads could also provide a stronger pathway to younger audiences than you may expect.

But still, its IG and TikTok that lead the way, while Snap maintains its relevance and influence over this cohort.

You can check out Piper Sander’s full study data here.