YouGov: US social media report 2024

199IT original compilation

Facebook has long lost its appeal to young people. Its inability to capture much attention from the younger generation is evident from a YouGov report that surveyed the generational composition of weekly social media users on different platforms.

According to the study, 13% of weekly Facebook users in the U.S. are from Generation Z (born in 1997 or later). In contrast, about a third of TikTok and Snapchat’s weekly users belong to this generation.

Conversely, older generations are heavy users of Facebook. As of April, about 29% of Facebook's weekly users were baby boomers, the generation that makes up the largest share of the user base of any social platform. Another 26% were Gen X. If you add in the "silent generation," 56% of Facebook's weekly users are Gen X or older.

Snapchat and TikTok are favorites among teens, skewed most toward younger user groups: Three-quarters of Snapchat users who use it weekly are either Gen Z (34%) or Millennials (42%), while 70% (71%) of TikTok users who use it weekly are either Gen Z (33%) or Millennials (38%).

In terms of gender distribution across social platforms, women make up between 54% and 57% of weekly users on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. The exception here is X, which skews male (60%).

There are also some gaps in the motivations for using these platforms. The main reason people use Facebook is to stay connected with friends (75%), followed by keeping up with the latest news (49%). While keeping in touch with friends is also the top reason for using Instagram and Snapchat, the second-largest reason for using both platforms is to view or watch fun/entertaining content. The latter reason is undoubtedly the most important reason for TikTok use. X, on the other hand, is mainly used to keep up with the latest news.

Finally, when analyzing Generation Z’s attitudes toward social media, the report highlights:

62% of people feel they are spending more time on social media than they did a year ago, compared to 44% of the general population.

67% of Gen Z sometimes worry about how much time they spend on social media.

54% believe social media has made their lives better, compared to 37% of the general population.

54% of people prefer to interact with people on social media rather than in person.

48% trust products recommended by celebrities or influencers, compared to 27% of the general population.

199IT.com Originally compiled from: YouGov. Please do not reprint without authorization