As of September 2023, YouTube as the most popular social media platform for global users, with 97 percent of respondents reporting to use the popular video platform. YouTube was also the most popular social media among Gen Z users, with 96 percent of respondents in this age group reporting to have used the video platform as of the examined period. Facebook's usage kept steady among among the general digital population, with around eight in 10 reporting to have used the platform. In comparison, the social media's popularity was in free fall among gen Z users with only four in 10 among those surveyed reporting to engage with the Meta-powered platform.

According to a survey conducted in the United States between July 2023 and June 2024, 65 percent of Generation Z were using Meta's Instagram, and 63 percent were using YouTube. Moreover, 58 percent of Gen Z in the United States were on TikTok, and 56 percent were using Facebook.

As of September 2024 in the United Kingdom, 98 percent of Generation Z, those born between 1995 and 2012, were using social media. The same was true for 97 percent of millennials in the country. Overall, 92 percent of Gen X were on social networks, as were 86 percent of Baby boomers.

In 2021, messaging and video sharing platform Snapchat was more popular than TikTok among Gen Z users in the United States. TikTok counted around 37 million users who were born between 1997 and 2012, while Instagram reported around 33 million users in the same period. Snapchat, which counted 42 million Gen Z users, is projected to reach 49.5 million users in the examined demographic by 2025. Overall, platforms such as Pinterest, Twitter and Reddit had significantly less users amongst this age group.

According to a survey conducted among Generation Z in Japan in November 2024, more than ** percent of the respondents used YouTube. YouTube was the leading social media platform, ahead of Instagram, X, and TikTok.

According to a survey of social media users aged between 16 and 24 years in the United Kingdom, ** percent of respondents used the ********* mobile app daily as of October 2022. Approximately ***** in ** respondents reported using social video app TikTok and YouTube on a daily basis, respectively. New social app app BeReal, which prompts users to post content once per day, was used by less than ***** in ** respondents aged between 16 and 24 years.

According to a January 2023 study of iOS users in the United States, ** percent of Gen Z users aged between 16 and 25 years used YouTube. Instagram and TikTok followed, with ** percent and ** percent of U.S. Gen Z users, respectively. Communication and VoIP platform Discord was used by ** percent of surveyed U.S. users aged between 16 and 25 years.

According to a survey conducted in the United States in July 2022,**************s of Gen Z adults had used ******* in the past month at least once a day, and ** percent had used the platform at least once a week. For TikTok, ** percent of respondents said they had used the platform every day within the past month. Additionally, ** percent of Gen Z adults said they had not used LinkedIn, and ** percent reported the same for Clubhouse.

According to a survey among internet users conducted in Vietnam by Decision Lab, in the third quarter of 2024, Facebook was considered the primary social media platform by ** percent of the respondents among Generation Z. Meanwhile, *** percent of them listed the Vietnamese platform Zalo as their primary app.

******** was the most popular social media platform for Gen Z, or 15-to-19-year-olds, in the Netherlands in 2020, with nearly all respondents using the service. This according to domestic survey information. The ********* service already ranked as the Netherlands' overall most popular social medium in terms of users. YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat were also very popular, all reaching a penetration rate of over ** percent. Karaoke app TikTok, on the other hand, was much less popular, as only ** percent of them used the video application. Why is TikTok low in this ranking? Chinese video and sing-along application TikTok, formerly Musical.ly, made a global name as being one of the most popular smartphone apps for Generation Z. Here, it seemingly ranks low as the source used ages ** and up. This age group might potentially fall outside TikTok’s user base. While there is no data for the Netherlands that investigates the age groups below **, download numbers suggest the app grew in popularity in the Netherlands after Bytedance (TikTok’s owner) merged Musical.ly and TikTok in August 2018. A clash of generations Perhaps unsurprisingly, Gen Z uses Instagram and Snapchat much more often than their Millennial counterparts (defined by the source as 20-to 39-year olds). Interestingly, Pinterest was also more popular among the younger generation. The picture gallery app does not rank among the most popular apps in the Netherlands, reaching less than **** million people in 2019. Facebook, on the other hand, was more preferred by Millennials than it was by Generation Z.

As of November 2022, a survey of global Generation Z social media users had 57 percent of respondents state that social media had a positive impact on their self-expression, whilst 56 percent reported it had a positive impact on their social connectivity. Overall, one in five Gen Z users said social media had a negative effect on their self-confidence and self-esteem.

According to a global survey conducted in 2023, roughly ********** of Millennials followed and purchased goods from the social media accounts of brands. Overall, about **** of Gen Z users followed and purchased from influencers, whilst just ** percent of Baby boomers did. Additionally, *** out of ten respondents belonging to the Gen X age group followed and purchased from the social media accounts of retailers. A booming market In recent years, social commerce has exploded in popularity among online shoppers. Consumers can now purchase items directly on social media platforms, going from discovery to purchase in a matter of minutes. Social commerce is estimated to reach over *** trillion U.S. dollars in revenue by 2028, up from *** billion in 2024. This new form of e-commerce is the most popular in Thailand, where around ** percent of online consumers use social sites as a purchase channel. In comparison, this share stood at ** percent in the United States. Chinese platforms dominate the social space Chinese social shopping sites are the most successful ones worldwide. For example, Douyin, a short-form video sharing app, ranked as the highest revenue-generating platform in 2024, raking in approximately *** billion U.S. dollars. WeChat, a messaging app, came in second with a revenue of *** billion dollars, followed by Little Red Book, a picture sharing app, with a revenue of ** billion dollars. TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, came in sixth place, pulling in ** billion dollars in revenue. While TikTok's popularity extends globally, its on-app purchase store, TikTok Shop, primarily caters to the Asian market. Thus, it is clear that China is the global leader in social selling.

According to a survey about Generation Z in China, more than 50 percent of respondents expressed aspects of their live to others on social media apps like WeChat Moments, Weibo, Red, Douyin (TikTok), Kuaishou, etc. only once every two to three months or even less. Merely 0.7 percent of respondents posted information about their life on these platforms every day.

A 2023 survey conducted in Indonesia found that more than **** of Generation Z respondents frequently used Instagram. Furthermore, about ** percent of female respondents used TikTok frequently, compared to ** percent of male respondents.

According to a 2022 online survey conducted in the United States, ** percent of Generation Z respondents stated they used social media for **** or more hours per day. Overall, just **** percent of respondents said they used it for less than *** hour daily, and *** percent reported they did not use social media.

In 2024, some ** percent of Generation Z survey respondents in the United States and the United Kingdom stated that their most valuable social platform for food recommendations was TikTok. Instagram was the second most valuable platform for Generation Z.

According to a survey in Spain in March 2023, ** percent of Generation Z respondents used WhatsApp, making it the most popular social media platform in the country among that population group. Instagram followed closely, with an audience reach of ** percent, then YouTube and TikTok, each used by ** percent and ** percent of Gen Z respondents.

Social media's influence on Gen Z shopping habits has surged dramatically in recent years. A 2024 survey reveals that 69 percent of Gen Z consumers discovered new products or brands through social media influencers, up from 45 percent in 2023. This shift underscores the growing importance of digital platforms in shaping consumer behavior, particularly among younger demographics. Beauty and personal care e-commerce growth The rising impact of social media on Gen Z purchasing decisions aligns with broader trends in e-commerce, particularly in the beauty and personal care sector. Global revenue in this market is forecast to increase by 49.15 percent between 2024 and 2029, reaching a new peak of 338.93 billion U.S. dollars. This growth trajectory suggests that the digital landscape will continue to play a crucial role in consumer discovery and purchasing habits. Payment preferences among young consumers Traditional payment methods remain popular among Zoomers. A survey across North America, Europe, and Latin America found that debit and credit cards are still preferred by Gen Z for online shopping and travel bookings. However, younger consumers are showing a growing demand for diverse payment options, indicating potential shifts in the e-commerce landscape as digital wallets gain prominence, particularly in Asia-Pacific markets.

**************** adults from Generation Z enjoyed watching or interacting with food content on social media in 2021. Social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are an important source of food inspiration for Zoomers. Popular food content categories include sensory food, pantry organization, and Mukbang.

According to a survey conducted in the United States in 2025, Millennials made up ** percent of social media users in the country. Overall, Generation Z accounted for ** percent of the United States' social media audience, and Generation X made up ** percent. Additionally, Baby boomers accounted for just **** percent of users.