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YouTube, Facebook Still Dominate As Social Media Use Shifts In 2025

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A new Pew Research Center report shows that YouTube and Facebook remain the most widely used social platforms among U.S. adults, while TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Reddit continue to grow steadily.

The survey of 5,022 adults found that 84% use YouTube and 71% use Facebook, confirming these two as the main channels for broad reach in 2025.

Instagram is the only other platform used by at least half of U.S. adults, with 50% adoption.​

Social Media Use: Platform Usage And Growth Highlights

Social Media Use
  • YouTube usage: 84% of U.S. adults say they use YouTube, with 48% using it daily and 33% visiting more than once a day.​
  • Facebook usage: 71% of adults use Facebook; 52% visit daily and 37% check it multiple times per day.​
  • TikTok growth: 37% of adults now use TikTok, nearly double the 21% in 2021; about 24% use it daily.​
  • Instagram milestone: 50% of adults use Instagram, up from 40% in 2021, with especially strong adoption among younger users.​
  • WhatsApp and Reddit gains: WhatsApp usage has risen to 32% (from 23% in 2021), while Reddit has grown to 26% (from 18%).​
  • Newer platforms: Threads (8%), Bluesky (4%), and Truth Social (3%) remain niche among the general adult population.​

Also read about: YouTube Statistics

Who Uses Which Platforms?

  • Age gaps: Around 80% of adults aged 18–29 use Instagram, compared with only 19% of those 65 and older. Similar splits appear for Snapchat (58% vs. 4%), TikTok (63% vs. 5%), and Reddit (48% vs. 6%).​
  • YouTube and Facebook across ages: Most age groups use YouTube and Facebook, but younger adults lead on YouTube with 95% usage versus 64% among adults 65+.​
  • Gender differences: Women are more likely to use Facebook (78% vs. 63%), Instagram (55% vs. 44%), and TikTok (42% vs. 30%), while men favor X/Twitter (29% vs. 15%) and Reddit (37% vs. 15%).​
  • Education: College-educated adults are more likely to use Reddit (40%), WhatsApp (41%), and Instagram (58%) than those with a high school education or less.​

For marketers, these trends suggest using YouTube and Facebook for mass reach while targeting TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Reddit for specific demographics and communities.

Newer platforms like Threads and Bluesky remain experimental but may matter more for niche or politically active audiences in the future.​

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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.