Teens’ Experiences on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat

Key Points:

• Pew Research Center surveyed 1,458 U.S. teens and their parents in late 2025 to explore teens' experiences and views on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, focusing on usage motivations, impacts, and parental perspectives.
• Entertainment is the top reason teens use these platforms, especially TikTok, where about 80% cite it; Snapchat users primarily use it to keep up with friends and family, while TikTok and Instagram users also seek product reviews and news.
• Snapchat users engage more frequently in direct messaging and posting compared to TikTok and Instagram users, with 57% messaging daily and about 30% posting daily on Snapchat.
• TikTok users are more likely to report negative impacts on sleep and productivity, while Snapchat is seen as more helpful for friendships; most teens say social media neither helps nor hurts their mental health, though parents are more likely to view it negatively.
• Harassment and bullying are recognized as problems by about 75% of users on each platform, but firsthand cyberbullying experiences are higher on Snapchat (around 30%) compared to Instagram and TikTok (about 20%).