Report Looks at Social Media Engagement Among Kids and Teens

Kids are coming online at younger and younger ages, as new technology provides new opportunities for parents and kids to connect, learn and engage with the world via digital devices.

But what apps are kids actually using, and how are they using them?

That’s what Qustodio sought to uncover with its latest survey report, which incorporates insights from 180,000 U.S. families with children aged between 7-18, looking at which apps are being used by kids and teens, and what’s driving their relative popularity.

The 13-page report, which you can download here, is divided into age ranges, looking at kids to teens.

And among the youngest user category in the report, 7 to 9 year olds, Roblox and YouTube are the most popular apps, seeing significantly more usage than anything else.

Though you may note some concerning mentions in there. Like, say, X and Reddit?

According to Qustodio’s analysis, this may be due to kids accessing these apps to get information on games, potentially via Google Search.

“The theory is that kids as young as 7-9 years of age are gaining access to apps like X and Reddit as parents either don’t know much about them or don’t think to block them because they aren’t as ‘popular’ – even though both platforms could expose kids to explicit content like hate speech, porn and disinformation.”

Seems like a concerning trend either way, but the utility of both apps, for gaming in particular, does lend them to such usage.

Roblox and YouTube remain the most popular apps among the next cohort, aged 10 to 12, before a marked shift in behaviors once users become teens.

As you can see, Roblox and YouTube remain popular, but social apps are now coming into play, with TikTok and Snapchat the most popular among this group.

Worth noting too that Facebook is also present, along with X, though neither app is among the most popular for youngsters.

Older teens (16 to 18) then make a more significant usage shift towards social apps.

These are some interesting insights, which provide a glimpse of exactly how and where young users are engaging, and what drives their behaviors in each app.

And while there are some concerning trends, particularly among the youngest web users, it is worth noting for those brands looking to connect with these groups, and where their attentions lie.

You can download Qustodio’s full “Apps Through the Ages” report here.