ooddysmile/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center finds that America’s youth is using the Internet and social media differently than they were a few years ago.
The survey found that the most popular online platform among teens is YouTube, with 85 percent of teens saying they use the video platform. Thirty-two percent say they use YouTube most often of any online platform.
Seventy-two percent of teens say they use Instagram, 69 percent say they use Snapchat, while just 51 percent say they are on Facebook.
An overwhelming majority (95 percent) of teens say they have a smartphone or access to one, including 45 percent who say they are online on a near-constant basis.
The survey did not find, however, a consensus on how social media use affects teens’ lives. According to the survey, 31 percent of teens say the impact of social media on their lives has been mostly positive. Twenty-four percent say their experience has been mostly negative, while 45 percent say it has been neither positive nor negative.
In the previous survey on teen social media use, done in 2014 and 2015, 71 percent of teens reported being users of Facebook.
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