Left to their own devices: How much time do teens spend on social media?
Left to their own devices
Device-dependent teenagers are far from phoning it in: a Gallup poll has found that over half (51%) of US teenagers report spending at least 4 hours per day on social media apps.
Indeed, while US teens overall spent an average 4.8 hours per day on the 7 popular social media platforms tested in the survey — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, WhatsApp, and WeChat — it appeared that, statistically, teenage girls were more chronically online than their male counterparts, racking up 5.3 hours per day versus 4.4.
YouTube was popular with Gen Z boys, averaging ~24% longer per day on the platform than girls, who reported spending more time on TikTok and Instagram. Meanwhile, messaging services like WhatsApp accounted for less than 15 minutes a day across both genders.
The survey also revealed that 17-year-olds were most likely to pass the 4-hour mark every single day. What surprised us most, however, was the 42% of 13-year-olds who also met the 4-hour threshold, given they’re only just old enough to meet the minimum sign-up age for most of these platforms.
