Better Internet for Kids

Which social networks are popular with young people in Austria? Are there differences between girls and boys? This year, the Safer Internet Center Austria (Saferinternet.at) analysed the social media use of Austrian young people for the 10th time. The survey has once again produced exciting results for the year 2025: Microsoft Teams is new to the top 6 most popular platforms. The five most used networks have remained the same, but their position in the ranking has shifted. The use of WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and the like has increased again compared to the previous year. ChatGPT has established itself as a key information platform for young people.

Graph shows*:
The 6 most popular social networks in 2025 
1. WhatsApp | 87  per cent (+11  per cent)
(2024: 76  per cent | 2023: 96  per cent | 2022: 96  per cent | 2021: 98  per cent | 2020: 91  per cent | 2019: 83  per cent | 2018: 85  per cent | 2017: 93  per cent | 2016: 94  per cent)
2. YouTube | 80  per cent (+10  per cent)
(2024: 70  per cent | 2023: 94  per cent | 2022: 95  per cent | 2021: 93  per cent | 2020: 91  per cent | 2019: 78  per cent | 2018: 81  per cent | 2017: 90  per cent | 2016: 87  per cent)
3. Snapchat | 74  per cent (+13  per cent)
(2024: 61  per cent | 2023: 69  per cent | 2022: 70  per cent | 2021: 75  per cent | 2020: 62  per cent | 2019: 52  per cent | 2018: 59  per cent | 2017: 65  per cent | 2016: 52  per cent)
4. Instagram | 73  per cent (+2  per cent)
(2024: 71  per cent | 2023: 75  per cent | 2022: 84  per cent | 2021: 84  per cent | 2020: 76  per cent | 2019: 71  per cent | 2018: 63  per cent | 2017: 68  per cent | 2016: 55  per cent)
5. TikTok | 72  per cent (+7  per cent)
(2024: 65  per cent | 2023: 68  per cent | 2022: 70  per cent | 2021: 57  per cent | 2020: 42  per cent | 2019: 19  per cent | 2018: 17  per cent | 2017: 26  per cent)
6. Microsoft Teams | 35  per cent
new
* only 2022 to 2024 are shown on the graph.
 

Large platforms are being used more again

WhatsApp successfully defended its first place among the most popular internet platforms among young Austrians (total usage: 87 per cent, of which 82 per cent daily). Second place was taken by YouTube (80 per cent in total, of which 47 per cent daily), followed by Snapchat (74 per cent in total, of which 89 per cent daily), Instagram (73 per cent in total, of which 78 per cent daily) and TikTok (72 per cent in total, of which 87 per cent daily). Compared to the previous year, all platforms have recorded growth. A new addition to the ranking is the Microsoft Teams platform , which is used by 35 per cent of young people, putting it in sixth place.

According to the Youth Internet Monitor, WhatsApp has become more important again compared to the previous year: The platform gained eleven percentage points among young people (2024: 76 per cent, 2025: 87 per cent) and remains the most popular messenger. 

In second place in the ranking is the video platform YouTube, which is used by eight out of ten young people. While Snapchat (89 per cent daily), TikTok (87 per cent daily) and Instagram (78 per cent daily) are used daily by a large number of respondents, only just under half of young people (47 per cent) stated that they also use YouTube daily.
 

With usage of over 70 per cent each, the messaging service Snapchat, the Instagram network and the video app TikTok are very close to each other in this year's ranking. Snapchat in particular has gained in importance compared to the previous year (up 13 per cent) and has moved up from fifth to third place. Instagram, on the other hand, slipped from second to fourth place.

There are differences between Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok in terms of young people's self-perception of the intensity of use: 65 per cent say they spend a lot or very much time on Snapchat and TikTok, compared to just over half of those surveyed (53 per cent) on Instagram. Just over half (54 per cent) of young people also believe they spend a lot or very much time on YouTube.

The instant photo app BeReal suffered losses this year: while it was used by almost a third of respondents in the previous year, it lost seven percentage points in 2025 (overall use: 24 per cent). The gaming platform Discord,, which was also used by a third of young Austrians in 2024, also recorded a decline of six percentage points (overall use: 26 per cent). The gaming platform Roblox, on the other hand, increased by 5 percentage points compared to the previous year (overall use: 24 per cent). New to the ranking is the "walkie-talkie app" TenTen, which is already used by 13 per cent of respondents. The digital pinboard Pinterest was pushed out of the top 6 with a drop of eight percentage points (total use: 34 per cent), but follows closely behind newcomer Microsoft Teams by just one percentage point.

New: Microsoft Teams used by a third of young people

The use of the Microsoft Teams platform was surveyed for the first time in the current study, ranking among the top 6 most popular platforms at 35 per cent. 29 per cent of young people state that they use Teams on a daily basis, while almost half (46 per cent) use it at least weekly. The platform has also found its way into everyday school life - mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic. One popular feature is the group function, which is used for in-class communication, among other things.

Gender-specific differences in social media use are decreasing

Traditionally, online platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and WhatsApp, which encourage active sharing, posting and creating, are more popular with girls. Boys are generally more popular on platforms such as YouTube, which tend to encourage passive consumption. As the Youth Internet Monitor 2025 shows, there are still differences in usage between the genders in some areas, but these have become significantly smaller, especially for the five most popular platforms: For example, Instagram (boys: 74 per cent, girls: 73 per cent) and TikTok (boys: 72 per cent, girls: 72 per cent) hardly show any gender differences at all. While Instagram was still more popular with girls and TikTok with boys in the previous year, these differences can no longer be identified in this year's survey. 

Slight gender-specific differences can be seen in the use of the platforms WhatsApp (boys: 84 per cent, girls: 91 per cent) and Snapchat (boys: 67 per cent, girls: 81 per cent). YouTube is more popular with boys (84 per cent) than girls (76 per cent). The gaming platforms Discord (girls: 11 per cent, boys: 40 per cent) and Twitch (girls: 9 per cent, boys: 25 per cent) continue to be used by more male adolescents. The online gaming platform Roblox, on the other hand, is used more frequently by girls (26 per cent) than boys (22 per cent). Among the survey participants, Microsoft Teams has significantly more female users (42 per cent) than male users (30 per cent).

ChatGPT establishes itself as an important information platform for young people

The survey on chatbots revealed that three quarters of the young people surveyed (75 per cent) have already used AI chatbots such as ChatGPT at least once. With a usage rate of 78 per cent, young males are six percentage points ahead of females (72 per cent). There are major differences in the use of AI chatbots between the 11 to 14 age group (67 per cent) and the 15 to 17 age group (84 per cent).

ChatGPT is most frequently used directly on the OpenAI platform (92 per cent), followed by the Snapchat chatbot MyAI (45 per cent). Only twelve per cent of respondents use Microsoft's AI chatbot via the Bing search engine. Gender-specific differences are particularly evident with the MyAI chatbot, which is used by more girls (50 per cent) than boys (41 per cent).

About the Youth Internet Monitor

The Youth Internet Monitor is a representative study conducted annually on behalf of Saferinternet.at. It analyses how and which social networks and online platforms are used by young people in Austria and what changes there are in media use in this population group. (Representative online survey, conducted by the Institute for Youth Culture Research, 10/2024; n = 405 young people from Austria aged 11 to 17, 200 of whom were girls; fluctuation range 3-5 per cent).

Downloads 

• Infographic "Youth Internet Monitor 2025" PNG, PDF
• Infographic "Youth Internet Monitor 2024" PNG, PDF
• Infographic "Youth Internet Monitor 2023" PNG, PDF
• Infographic "Youth Internet Monitor 2022" PNG, PDF
• Infographic "Youth Internet Monitor 2021" PNG, PDF
• Infographic "Youth Internet Monitor 2020" PNG, PDF
• Infographic "Youth Internet Monitor 2019" PNG
• Infographic "Youth Internet Monitor 2018" PNG
• Infographic "Youth Internet Monitor 2017" PNG
• Infographic "Youth Internet Monitor 2016" PNG

Find more information about the work of the Austrian Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline, and youth participation services, or find similar information for other Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.