Sending private messages, liking posts by other users or followed people, and commeting on posts are the most popular social media activites of parents living with children in the United States. 57 percent of mothers and 51 percent of fathers used social media to send private messages, making it the most popular social media functionality overall. In general mothers are somewhat more active on social media than fathers. The only category where fathers show a higher engagement are business and job related. 34 percent of fathers stated that they liked company posts of followed companies, while 21 percent shared company posts.

According to a survey conducted in January 2025, 64 percent of parents in the United States considered social media usage had negative influence on young children and teens. Among young users, the majority indicated positive influence of social media, as around four in 10 young consumers reported having positive influence from social media usage. While 33 percent of young respondents claimed to being negatively impacted by social media.

According to a survey conducted in January 2025, 54 percent of parents in the United States (U.S.) strongly favored the requirement of age verification on social media platforms to prevent users aged under 16 years from using such platforms. Another 28 percent were somewhat supportive of social media policies limiting young users from joining the platform.

As of June 2020, 63 percent of parents in the United States reported that their teenagers spent more time using social media than they did in pre-pandemic times. Overall, 25 percent of respondents stated that their children used social media less, and 12 percent said that their teens usage of online platforms had not changed.

In a May 2022 survey, parents in the United States were asked at what age they thought children should have their own social media account. Approximately ** percent of respondents answered age **, the most selected answer by *** percentage point over the next most common answers, 13 and 15 years old. In general, parents were more likely to agree to individual social media accounts for children aged 12 and above. In most social media platforms' terms and conditions, children age ** and below are not allowed to create an account. The most popular app used by U.S. children was TikTok, with ** minutes of daily usage.

As of June 2020, 48 percent of U.S. parents of teenagers said that Instagram was the social media platform that concerned them the most followed by Snapchat with 45 percent. Additionally, 40 percent of parents in the United States stated that TikTok was a social media app that warranted worry and over two thirds of parents said the same about Facebook. Furthermore, eleven percent of parents expressed concern about instant messaging service WhatsApp.

Facebook is the most popular social media used by mothers living with children in the United States. ** percent of moms used Facebook on a regular basis. YouTube and Instagram were the second and third most used platforms with ** and ** percent respectively.

As of June 2020 in the United States, when asked how social media was affecting their teenage children, 58 percent of parents said that their child was not sleeping enough. Overall, 57 percent reported that their teen did not get enough physical activity and just over half of all parents said that their teenage child did not focus enough on schoolwork as a result of social media. Bullying others was another concern of parents, with 18 percent of respondents stating that this was a result of social media usage.

As of March 2020, a survey on parenting in the United States revealed that a major reason for 76 percent of parents to have not shared anything about their children on social media was because they did not want other people to have access to the information. A major reason for 71 percent of responding non-sharers was due to them not wanting social media sites collecting data about their children.

A March 2020 survey of U.S. parents revealed that 13 percent of U.S. children aged 11 or younger used TikTok. The video sharing platform was by far the most popular social network among young children in the United States. Overall, 30 percent of parents with kids aged 9 to 11 years stated that their knew of their child using TikTok.

When buying back-to-school supplies for their children in 2025, Gen Z were most likely to make purchases on social media. ** percent of Gen X used such platforms to discover products.

In 2020, around ** percent of parents surveyed in Mexico and in Peru stated that they knew what information on the social network profiles of their children was public. Concurrently, in Brazil, one out of five responding parents said they were not aware of the public information featured on their children's social media profiles. Furthermore, according to another survey, approximately ********* of children in Mexico accessed online communications media content.

As of March 2020, a survey on parenting in the United States revealed that less than one percent of parents believe their child aged 0 to 2 years old should be able to begin using social media sites. In comparison, 34 percent of U.S. parents believe it is acceptable for their child to begin using social media sites at ages 12 to 14, and 44 percent believe it is acceptable to begin using at ages 15-17.

According to a survey conducted in January 2025, 47 percent of parents in the United States strongly supported warning labels on social media platforms for content that can harm children's mental health and wellness. Another 34 percent reported to be somewhat in favor of such social media policies to protect children's mental wellness from negative content on social media. As of October 2024, 44 percent of U.S. parents considered social media as one of the biggest threats to their teen mental health.

In 2024, 66 percent of parents in the United Kingdom (UK) reported to be well aware of posts their children make on social media platforms. It represents an increase in awareness level among UK parents compared to the previous examined year, when 61 percent of parents knew about kids' social media activities.

As of March 2020, a survey on parenting in the United States revealed that 52 percent of social media using parents thought that other parents shared too much about their children on social media. Only three percent of respondents believed other parents share too little of their children on social media.

In a September 2024 conducted survey among children and teenagers in Australia regarding their social media usage, of the around ** percent of eight to 12 year olds surveyed reporting using YouTube in the period from January to September, ** percent reported using a parent or caregiver's account.

In 2024, roughly ** percent of parents planned to use social media to assist them during their back-to-school shopping. At ** percent, 2024 had a lower share of U.S. consumers using social media for such purposes, compared to the last few years.

In a May 2022 survey, parents in the United States were asked in which online activities their child partakes. The most common answers included children watching YouTube videos, selected by approximately 82 percent of respondents, and playing online video games, chosen by 67 percent of U.S. parents. When children and adolescents themselves are asked about their online activities, the self-estimation may vary.

According to a study conducted in the United Kingdom in 2022, ** percent of children said that being online helped them with their school work or homework. Overall, ** percent of parents said that being online helped their children with their schoolwork or homework. Additionally, ** percent of children felt that being online helped them to build or maintain friendships, whereas a slightly higher share of parents felt that being online helped their children build or maintain friendships.