TikTok leads as the most popular platform among underage users, research reveals

A significant portion of children under the age of 13 in the United States are actively using social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, despite clear age restrictions, according to a new study published in Academic Pediatrics. Researchers found that a majority of 11-to-15-year-olds had at least one social media account. Furthermore, the study revealed that 6.3% of young users maintained secret accounts hidden from their parents.

Social media platforms set a minimum user age of 13 to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which aims to protect young users from harmful content and data exploitation. However, many children bypass these age restrictions, raising concerns about their exposure to inappropriate material, online harassment, and addictive behaviors. Previous research has linked social media use in adolescents to poor sleep, mental health challenges, and exposure to risky behaviors such as substance use.

The researchers sought to provide an updated, platform-specific analysis of underage social media use, especially given the rapid rise of platforms like TikTok, which appeal to younger audiences. They aimed to identify the prevalence of such usage, its patterns, and differences based on age and gender.

“There is a lack of peer-reviewed research specifically focused on social media use among underage adolescents in national samples within the United States. This study can provide crucial evidence to inform policy and legislative efforts around age verification, minimum age requirements, and improved parental control features on social media platforms,” said study author Jason Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco.

The study utilized data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a large, multi-site research project that tracks the development and health of over 11,000 children across the United States. The ABCD Study employs a nationally representative sample, ensuring participants come from diverse racial, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds. For this analysis, researchers focused on a subset of 10,092 participants aged 11 to 15, examining their social media habits during the third wave of data collection (2019–2021).

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Participants completed detailed surveys about their social media use, which included questions about platform preferences, the frequency of use, and whether they maintained secret accounts hidden from their parents. To gauge problematic behaviors associated with social media, researchers used the Social Media Addiction Questionnaire, a validated tool adapted to measure issues such as excessive time spent online, difficulty reducing usage, and emotional dependency on social media. Responses were gathered via digital questionnaires administered directly to participants.

The researchers found that 69.5% of adolescents in the sample had at least one social media account, despite most platforms requiring users to be 13 years or older. Among children under 13, 63.8% reported having at least one social media account, with TikTok being the most popular platform in this age group. Specifically, 68.2% of under-13 users reported using TikTok, followed by YouTube (62.9%), Instagram (57.3%), and Snapchat (55.2%).

Nagata was not surprised by the high prevalence of underage social media use. “There is currently a lack of robust age verification for most social media platforms,” he said. “It is easy for children to enter an older date of birth to access social media accounts.”

The findings showed that many children used multiple platforms, with under-13 users maintaining an average of 3.38 accounts. Furthermore, 6.3% of all respondents admitted to having secret accounts hidden from their parents. This trend was more common among older adolescents but still notable among younger participants.

Gender differences were also prominent. Girls were more likely to use platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Pinterest, while boys reported higher usage of YouTube and Reddit. Girls were also more likely to show signs of problematic social media use, such as spending significant time on platforms and feeling emotionally dependent on them.

Problematic behaviors were widespread among social media users. Approximately 25% of participants reported regularly thinking about social media or using it as an emotional escape. Others struggled to limit their use, with some acknowledging that it interfered with schoolwork. Despite these concerns, the study highlighted that early adolescents’ social media use is often unsupervised, with a significant portion of activity occurring on secret or hidden accounts.

“Young adolescents undergo many developmental changes, including puberty, increased body image concerns, and a heightened focus on peer relationships,” Nagata told PsyPost. “Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram leverage powerful algorithms to deliver content that is highly engaging, visual, and interactive—features that align closely with the developmental needs and interests of this age group.”

“We found that early adolescents were susceptible to social media addiction, including the inability to stop despite trying, withdrawal, tolerance, conflict, and relapse. Twenty-five percent reported spending a lot of time thinking about social media apps. Another 25% reported using social media apps to forget about their problems, and 17% have tried to use social media apps less but can’t. Additionally, 11% reported using social media apps so much that it has had a negative effect on their schoolwork.”

The researchers also noted that social media use increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting the heightened reliance on digital communication during a time of physical distancing. This context may have amplified the findings, as adolescents turned to social media for social connection during prolonged isolation. However, some participants might have underreported their use of secret accounts or problematic behaviors.

“Several states have enacted legislation to raise minimum age requirements, implement stronger age verification measures, and require parental consent for minors to access social media,” Nagata said. “Studying the impacts of these policies will be crucial to understanding their effectiveness and potential consequences.”

The study, “Prevalence and Patterns of Social Media Use in Early Adolescents,” was authored by Jason M. Nagata, Zain Memona, Jonanne Taleblooa, Karen Lia, Patrick Low, Iris Y. Shao, Kyle T. Ganson, Alexander Testa, Jinbo He, Claire D. Brindis, and Fiona C. Baker.