(NewsNation) — The average U.S. teen spends nearly five hours a day on social media with YouTube, TikTok and Instagram making up the majority of that time.
Those findings come from a new Gallup survey in which 51% of U.S. teenagers said they spent at least four hours a day using social media. That use works out to 4.8 hours a day for the average teen.
Teenage girls are on social media even longer, 5.3 hours a day, which is about an hour more than teen boys (4.4 hours).
There are also gender differences when it comes to which platforms teens use. TikTok was most popular for girls whereas boys spent more time on YouTube.
Overall, YouTube is where U.S. teens spend the most time each day (1.9 hours), followed by TikTok (1.5 hours) and Instagram (0.9 hours).
The survey also asked parents whether they limit their children’s screen time. Among those with kids aged 3 to 19, just 25% strongly agreed that they restrict screen time. Parents who identified as very conservative were about twice as likely to do so than very liberal parents, 41% versus 23%.
The new report comes amid a growing body of evidence that social media is harming children’s mental health, especially teen girls.
Just this week, New York State officials introduced a bill that would prohibit minors from accessing algorithm-based social media feeds like TikTok and Instagram unless they have permission from their parents.
Earlier this year, Utah became the first state to pass a law limiting teens’ access to social media.