(NewsNation) — YouTube and Facebook were by far the most popular social media apps, but Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok were the preferred choices of young people in 2023, according to an analysis from Pew Research Center.
The survey results released Wednesday show the dominance of YouTube, which 83% of Americans said they have used. More than two-thirds (68%) say they use Facebook.
Here’s a look at each platform and who is using them.
YouTube
The most popular platform is used by 83% of Americans and a majority of all age groups.
It’s most popular among people aged 18-29 and 30-49, with more than 90% of each group using it. It’s least popular among people 65 and up, but even then, 60% of that group use it.
The app is most popular among Asians, with 93% of the group using it. It’s used by 81% of whites, 82% of Black Americans and 86% of Hispanics.
The same amount of urban and suburban people have watched videos on the app (85%), while fewer rural Americans (77%) report using it.
It’s used by roughly the same amount of Democrats (84%) as Republicans (82%).
At 68%, Facebook is the second most popular app among Americans and has the smallest age gap.
Three-quarters of people age 30-49 use it, compared to 69% of people ages 50-64, 67% of people age 18-29 and 58% of those 65 and up.
The app is used by roughly the same amount of people across ethnicities: 69% of whites, 64% of Black people, 66% of Hispanics and 67% of Asians.
It’s most likely to be used by rural Americans (70%), compared to 66% of urbanites and 68% of suburbanites.
It’s used slightly more by Republicans (70%) compared to Democrats (67%).
Less than a majority (47%) of Americans use the photocentric app, which has the largest age gap.
It’s most popular among 18- to 29-year-olds, 78% of whom report ever using it. It is used increasingly less among each subsequent age group: 59% of those age 30-49, 35% of those 50-64 and just 15% of those 65 and up.
A majority of both Hispanics (58%) and Asians (57%) use the app, while less than a majority of Black Americans (46%) and whites (43%) use it.
It’s most likely to be used by urban Americans (53%) compared to 49% of suburbanites and 38% of those in rural areas.
It’s used much more by Democrats (53%) than Republicans (43%).
Snapchat
Just over a quarter (27%) of Americans use the app that, like Instagram, is most popular among young people.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of people age 18-29 report using it, while smaller numbers of those age 30-49 (30%) say the same. It’s even less popular among people age 50-64 (13%) and least used among those 65 and up, at only 4%.
An identical number of whites, Asians and Black people (25% each) use the app, while it’s most popular among Hispanics at 35%.
Usage among urban, suburban and rural people is split roughly evenly, at 29%, 26% and 27%, respectively.
Slightly more than a quarter of both Democrats (28%) and Republicans (27%) use it.
TikTok
This app saw the most growth in 2023 and is used by 33% of Americans.
Like the others, it’s most popular among people age 18-29 (62%). Usage drops off in the 30-49 (39%), 50-64 (24%) and 65-plus (10%) age groups.
A total of 49% of Hispanics report using the app, while 39% of Black people, 29% of Asians and 28% of whites say the same.
Usage among urban, suburban and rural people is split roughly evenly, at 36%, 31% and 33%, respectively.
It’s used more by Democrats (36%) than Republicans (30%).