Gen Zers Differ in Extent of Social Platform Use

The majority (54% share) of Gen Zers (ages 13-25) in the US profess to using social media for at last 4 hours a day, including almost 4 in 10 (38%) who claim to use social media for more than 4 hours daily. That’s according to recent survey results from Morning Consult, which found that about half as many US adults in general (28% share) use social media for 4 hours or more every day.

The platforms that Gen Zers use are fairly consistent across genders, but the extent to which they use them does differ. Here’s what the survey found with respect to social platform use.

The most-used platform by Gen Zers is YouTube, much as it is the most popular social platform among US adults in general. In this latest survey, 88% of Gen Zers reported using YouTube. However, this figure was higher among male (93%) than female (84%) respondents, continuing a trend found in previous years.

The next four-most used social platforms, however, have higher adoption rates among female than male Gen Zers. Second on the list overall is Instagram, used by about three-quarters (76%) of respondents. That figure rises to 80% among female respondents, as compared to 73% among males.

Following Instagram in the popularity sweepstakes is TikTok, used by slightly more than two-thirds (68%) of Gen Zers. The platform, which has surged in popularity among teens, is used to a considerably wider extent by female Gen Zers (75%) than their male counterparts (62%).

Snapchat is right on Instagram’s heels, according to these survey results. It’s used by 2 in 3 Gen Zers (67%), with usage again higher among females (70%) than males (64%), though the gap is narrower than with TikTok.

Indeed, while more female Gen Zers use TikTok than Snapchat, the opposite is true for male Gen Zers, who are slightly more likely to use the latter.

Female Gen Zers also lead the way in Facebook usage. A slim majority (54%) reporting using the platform that has lost its favor with this generation. By comparison, 45% of male Gen Zers use the platform, for an overall average of 49%.

After Facebook, other lesser-used platforms tend to be used more by males of this generation.

Some 54% of male Gen Zers say they use Twitter, compared to just 40% of female Gen Zers, for an average of 47% across all respondents. While male Gen Zers are more apt to use Twitter than Facebook, the reverse is true for female Gen Zers.

There’s an even bigger disparity when it comes to Discord. While slightly more than one-third (35%) of Gen Zers use Discord, the figure among male Gen Zers (45%) is almost twice as high as among female Gen Zers (24%).

Likewise, about twice as many male (40%) as female (21%) respondents use Reddit, for an overall average of 3 in 10.

The gender disparity continues for Twitch, which is used by about 1 in 4 (24%) Gen Zers; 30% of males and 17% of females.

Finally, female Gen Zers have more rapidly adopted BeReal. This app, used by 15% of respondents, has already been adopted by 21% of female Gen Zers, compared to just 10% of males. Indeed, previous research from Comscore revealed that women ages 18-24 represented two-thirds (66%) of BeReal’s adult audience in the US as of August 2022.