Prevalence and Patterns of Social Media Use in Early Adolescents

To describe patterns of social media use, including underage use (under 13 years) and sex differences, in a diverse, national sample of early adolescents in the US.

We analyzed the social media use data in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (2019-2021, Year 3), which includes a national sample of early adolescents in the US. Specifically, using Chi-square and t-tests, we compared social media use patterns across demographic characteristics stratified by age and sex.

In the sample of 10,092 11-to-15-year-old adolescents, 69.5% had at least one social media account; among social media users, the most common platforms were TikTok (67.1%), YouTube (64.7%), and Instagram (66.0%). A majority (63.8%) of participants under 13 years (minimum age requirement) reported social media use. Under-13 social media users had an average of 3.38 social media accounts, with 68.2% having TikTok accounts and 39.0% saying TikTok was the social media site they used the most. Females reported higher use of TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Pinterest, while males reported higher use of YouTube and Reddit. Additionally, 6.3% of participants with social media accounts reported having a secret social media account hidden from their parents' knowledge.

Our findings reveal a high prevalence of underage social media use in early adolescence. These findings can inform current policies and legislation aimed at more robust age verification measures, minimum age requirements, and the enhancement of parental controls on social media. Clinicians can counsel about the potential risks of early adolescent social media use.