Facebook drops to 4th among teens

Depending on gender and race, teens prefer YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. They are largely neutral about their constant use of social media, according to a new Pew Research Center report.

Facebook has given way to YouTube among teens using social media…and they all do, according to a new Pew Research Center report, and constantly.

While still half of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 say they use Facebook, 85% use YouTube, 72% use Instagram, and 69% use Snapchat, with the latter being their most favorite.

In addition, just shy of half of all teens – 45% – now report they are online on a near-constant basis. Some teens say the effect of their use of social media is mostly positive (31%) or mostly negative (24%), but the largest share (45%) says the effect is neither positive nor negative. (Read the full report for greater detail and representative comments.)

Notably, Pew claims, “lower-income teens are more likely to gravitate toward Facebook than those from higher-income households – a trend consistent with previous Center surveys,” nearly twice those of wealthier families.

Gender is also an issue. Girls are more likely than boys to say Snapchat is the site they use most often (42% vs. 29%), while boys are more inclined than girls to identify YouTube as their go-to platform (39% vs. 25%).

Additionally, white teens (41%) are more likely than Hispanic (29%) or black (23%) teens to say Snapchat is the online platform they use most often, while black teens are more likely than whites to identify Facebook as their most used site (26% vs. 7%).

Photo for the Pew Research Center by Drew Angerer, Getty Images News