According to the latest report on Americans’ Social Media Use from the Pew Research Center, YouTube continues to hold its position as the most widely used online platform. The report categorizes YouTube as an “online platform,” a designation that nods to the long-standing debate over whether the video-sharing giant truly qualifies as a social media company.
The findings show YouTube leading with 84% of U.S. adults using the platform, compared with 71% for Facebook. That said, Facebook users report higher daily activity: 54% visit several times a day, versus 48% of YouTube users.
In third place is Meta’s Instagram, though its adoption rate has remained static compared to the previous year.
The report also points to a striking trend for TikTok. Even as it faces political and legal questions about its future in the U.S., the ByteDance-owned app has grown its reach to 37% of American adults. WhatsApp has also edged up to 32%, while Reddit has climbed to 26%.
Meanwhile, X (the platform that used to be Twitter) hasn’t budged. It’s still at 21% of U.S. adults using it. That’s notable, especially since some reports say its monthly active users are slipping, something Elon Musk has openly disputed.
Among major platforms, Snapchat was the sole service to post a decline in usage this year, sliding to 25%.
Pew’s latest survey also added three newer platforms to its lineup. Their reach is still limited, with each used by about one in ten, or fewer, U.S. adults. Threads leads the group at 8%, followed by Bluesky at 4% and Truth Social at 3%.
The report also breaks down who’s actually using these apps. No surprise here, people under 30 are the most active, and platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Reddit are big favorites among the 18–29 crowd.
Even after long-running attempts to refresh its image, Facebook remains more heavily used by adults over 30. YouTube also sees higher engagement among this demographic, though its user base is notably broad across all age ranges.
The study also highlights education-related trends. Americans with higher levels of formal education are more likely to use platforms such as Reddit, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Reddit, for example, is used by about four in ten college graduates. TikTok, on the other hand, is more commonly adopted by those with some college experience or less.
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