- Over 30% of kids aged 7-9 have access to the X (formerly Twitter) app, and 44% already own their own tablet
- Snapchat emerges as a communication tool of choice at the ages of 13-15, posing the risk of early teens undertaking more risky online behavior
- Instagram and Discord take hold among 16-18 year olds, posing distraction risks during a critical pre-adult study period
Nearly half of US kids aged 10-15 are on average spending over two hours a day on TikTok, according to a new report from world-leading online safety company Qustodio. The new research reveals how children are interacting with apps over time, and how habits change and develop with age.
The report, titled “Apps through the Ages”, is based on anonymous app and online tool usage from 180,000 US families with children aged between 7-18.
“There are a number of key findings in our analysis of the usage data among US families that should give parents cause for concern, no matter the age,” said Yasmin London, global online safety expert for Qoria, the parent company of Qustodio. “Amid a debate about enforcing age restrictions for social media companies in many countries around the world, it’s important to understand where children are actually spending their time, and the risks those apps pose. While many parents may see many of these apps as harmless distractions, they can expose children to a harmful and dark side of social media.”
7-9 year olds favor Roblox and access to tablets
Even at this young age, social media use is already apparent. In the US, 31% of 7-9 year olds have accessed X, while 28% have used Reddit.
“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,” says London.
Roblox, however, takes the popularity crown, with this age group spending over 2 hours a day on the app alone. Here, users can play a wide variety of games, create their own games, and chat with other users online. While seemingly harmless, Roblox poses a series of risks along with its positives, as adults also play and some games have been found to contain highly inappropriate sexual content.
“Parents think apps like Roblox are safe because the avatars look like innocent little Lego characters,” says London. “But while kids are creating and participating in games, so too are older people and behind those avatars are adults using these games and chatrooms to groom or manipulate younger users. Parents need to understand the game, the risks it poses and who kids are playing with.”
At 10-12, the Smartphone Age begins – along with 240 Tik Tok videos a day
By the age of 10, nearly half (42%) of US kids have their own smartphone.
“Many parents may look at this statistic and wonder why so many kids this age have a smartphone or a TikTok account, and say something like ‘just don’t give your kid access at that age’. But it’s not that simple,” says London. “For kids, often their main concern is cyber ostracism, which can lead to its own set of issues. People may downplay or ignore this issue, but not being included or allowed in chat groups or online games can result in kids doing it regardless and in a secretive way which isn’t great if they need them to come forward when things go wrong. All kids want to feel included and the online world and friendship groups online are part of that now.
It’s perhaps no coincidence then that TikTok forms part of the picture from this age group onwards. 40% of kids use the renowned social media platform for an average of 121 minutes per day.
“Assuming the average TikTok video is 30 seconds long, that’s around 240 videos a day exposing kids to a range of content that may be inappropriate for their age group, and affecting their ability to focus and concentrate,” says London. “Many parents also don’t know about features in these apps like Family Pairing for instance, which helps parents manage their kid’s TikTok experience.”
While TikTok grows in popularity with this age group, so too does the use of social media platforms X and Reddit – dramatically increasing the likelihood of exposure to adult content.
“Globally the average age a young person will first view pornography occurs before they turn 13. Often this is not because they intentionally seek it out, but because they stumble upon it by accident,” says London. “Mature content is easy to find on platforms like Reddit and X. X even recently updated its community guidelines to allow users to ‘share consensually produced adult nudity or sexual behavior.”
However, Roblox still remains the most popular app for this age group too, with 62% of 10-12 year olds using the platform for an average of 143 minutes per day.
From taking a back seat to social sharing: 13-15-year-olds
At this age, Roblox slowly begins to drop in popularity (slipping to 52% of kids using the game) as Spotify (66%), YouTube (62%), and Amazon Shopping (56%) become the three most popular apps. But perhaps the biggest takeaway is how social media platforms start to take hold as kids cross over into their teenage years.
Social media and communication apps become more present in this cohort, with 47% of 13-15 year olds scrolling TikTok for an average of 127 minutes a day, while Snapchat enters the top 10 as 38% of teens use the app for an average of 94 daily minutes.
Snapchat allows people to communicate by sending photos and messages that disappear once opened, and the report suggests it is the primary way that teenagers begin to communicate with one another on smartphones. However, the “disappearing” nature of messages can embolden children to send more explicit messages and photos, or engage in increasingly toxic behavior on their phones.
“At this age, teens crave independence and autonomy, but developmentally, they still have poor impulse control. This is why cyberbullying and toxic online behaviors can dramatically increase during these years,” says London.
TikTok and Instagram vie for attention among 16–18-year-olds
While fewer young members of Gen Z are using TikTok (42%), its addictive features – such as the ‘For You’ page – still keep them on the app for long periods of time. While 16-18 year-olds reign in their use, they still manage to average 108 minutes per day, compared to just over an hour (72 minutes) a day for Instagram.
Discord and Snapchat are the communication apps of choice among the last of Gen Z: 40% of US 16-18 year olds and 39% use the apps respectively.
“By this age, teens are often reasonably self-sufficient and confident in their digital interactions, so communication and trust are a parent’s most powerful tools,” says London. “Even at this age, access to these applications poses the same risks that earlier age groups are exposed to, and they can become an incredible distraction during a time when study and the future of these soon-to-be-adults become critical.”
To read the full US report on Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s app habits, download the PDF of “Apps through the ages” below.
For enquiries and interview requests regarding this report, contact press@qustodio.com.