Pew: 84% of Adults Now Use YouTube

New research from the Pew Research Center paints a clear picture of how Americans are using social media in 2025. While long-established platforms such as YouTube and Facebook remain the dominant places for broad audience reach, several other channels — including TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp and Reddit — continue to grow steadily. At the same time, newer platforms are still struggling to gain traction, highlighting how slowly users shift their habits once the major platforms become part of everyday life.

Below is a detailed breakdown of Pew’s findings, along with what these trends may mean for marketers, creators and businesses looking to build a presence online.

The Big Leaders: YouTube and Facebook Remain the Core Platforms

According to the latest Pew figures, YouTube and Facebook are still the two most widely used social platforms in the United States. Pew’s survey of over 5,000 U.S. adults shows that 84% use YouTube, making it the most dominant digital platform by far. Facebook follows with 71%, proving that even with increased competition, it still holds a strong grip on older and middle-aged users who view it as their main space for news, community groups and connecting with family.

YouTube’s continued popularity reflects its position as a video hub for entertainment, learning, and even livestream activities. Meanwhile, Facebook’s reach shows that long-form communities, personal updates and local interactions still matter deeply to a large portion of the population. This broad appeal gives both platforms an advantage that newcomers struggle to replicate.

Growing Platforms: TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp and Reddit Show Strong Momentum

While the biggest names still dominate, Pew’s research also highlights steady growth across several mid-tier platforms, especially among younger adults. TikTok usage has now reached 37% of U.S. adults, nearly double its share from 2021. Its short-form content style continues to resonate with younger groups, and about a quarter of its users check the app daily — a sign of strong engagement.

Instagram has also crossed an important milestone, with half of American adults now using the platform. This figure puts Instagram just behind Facebook, and its popularity remains especially high among younger people, who continue to favour visual-first platforms over text-heavy alternatives. WhatsApp has also grown significantly, rising to 32% usage, and Reddit has expanded to 26%, showing that communities built around shared interests and discussions are becoming increasingly important for many users.

Together, these platforms form the “next tier” of social media — not as dominant as YouTube or Facebook, but clearly where much of the growth and cultural influence is shifting.

New and Niche Platforms: Early Adoption but Limited Reach

While TikTok and Instagram continue to expand, several newer platforms are still operating at the edge of mainstream use. According to Pew’s findings, Threads reaches just 8% of adults, Bluesky sits at 4%, and Truth Social holds 3%. These platforms, although often discussed in the media, remain niche and serve very specific interest groups.

Their small adoption rates suggest that most people prefer to stay within the platforms they already know, especially when it comes to daily communication and entertainment. Newer entrants may attract early adopters or politically active users, but reaching the broader public remains a challenge.

How Often Americans Use Social Media

Pew’s report also highlights how active users are on each platform, revealing major differences in engagement. Facebook remains the most frequently used, with 52% of adults checking it daily and over a third logging in more than once a day. YouTube follows closely, with 48% of adults using it every day — a sign of how deeply video consumption has become part of daily routines.

TikTok’s engagement is also notable: 24% of adults visit the app daily, showing that its user base might be smaller than Facebook’s, but its activity levels remain high. By contrast, X (formerly Twitter) sees much lower engagement, with only 10% of adults using it on a daily basis. These differences help explain why advertisers and creators often approach each platform differently.

How Age Shapes Platform Preferences

One of the strongest patterns in the report is the divide between younger and older adults. Pew found that age remains the biggest predictor of which platforms people prefer. For example, 80% of adults aged 18–29 use Instagram, compared with only 19% of people aged 65 and over. The same gap appears across Snapchat, TikTok and Reddit, where younger adults dominate usage.

YouTube, however, stands out as an exception. Although younger adults make up the largest share of users — with 95% using it — the platform also appeals strongly to older groups, with 64% of those aged 65+ using it as well. Facebook follows a similar pattern, with widespread use across age brackets, although younger adults tend to use it less frequently than older adults.

Gender and Education Also Influence Usage Patterns

The report highlights striking differences between men and women in how they use social media. Women are more active on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, while men are significantly more likely to use X and Reddit. These patterns show how different audiences gravitate towards certain content formats — for example, Reddit’s text-driven communities often attract male users, while Instagram’s visual style resonates more with female users.

Education also appears to shape platform choice. Adults with university degrees are more likely to use platforms such as Reddit, WhatsApp and Instagram, suggesting that these spaces may appeal to people with specific lifestyle habits or communication needs.

Why These Findings Matter for Content Strategy

For anyone working in digital marketing, content creation or audience targeting, these trends offer useful guidance. YouTube and Facebook remain the safest environments for reaching large, diverse audiences, while TikTok and Instagram are the best places to engage younger people with visual content. Meanwhile, platforms like Reddit and WhatsApp offer niche but highly engaged communities that can be powerful for specific campaigns.

The key takeaway is that not all platforms serve the same purpose, and successful strategies often involve tailoring content for each rather than pushing the same material everywhere. Understanding where specific age groups or interest groups spend their time can help brands reach the right people more effectively.

Looking Ahead: Slow Shifts, Not Sudden Changes

Pew’s dataset suggests that social media habits are evolving gradually rather than rapidly. Younger adults continue to spend most of their time on platforms that already feel familiar to them — YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit — while older adults are still far more comfortable with Facebook and YouTube.

Newer platforms remain small players, although they may develop more influence over time as users experiment. For now, though, the most important trend is the slow but steady diversification of where audiences choose to spend their time online.