Better Internet for Kids

The six most popular social networks in 2026  

1. WhatsApp is the most popular social network (82%)  
   There was a 5% decrease compared to 2025. Data is available for previous years:
   2025: 87% | 2024: 76% | 2023: 96% | 2022: 96% | 2021: 98% | 2020: 91% | 2019: 83% | 2018: 85% | 2017: 93% | 2016: 94% 
2. YouTube (76%)  
   There was a 4% decrease compared to 2025. Data is available for previous years: 
   2025: 80% | 2024: 70% | 2023: 94% | 2022: 95% | 2021: 93% | 2020: 91% | 2019: 78% | 2018: 81% | 2017: 90% | 2016: 87% 
3. Snapchat (65%) 
   There was a 9% decrease compared to 2025. Data is available for previous years: 
   2025: 74% | 2024: 61% | 2023: 69% | 2022: 70% | 2021: 75% | 2020: 62% | 2019: 52% | 2018: 59% | 2017: 65% | 2016: 52% 
4. TikTok (64%)  
   There was an 8% decrease compared to 2025. Data is available for previous years: 
   2025: 72% | 2024: 65% | 2023: 68% | 2022: 70% | 2021: 57% | 2020: 42% | 2019: 19% | 2018: 17% | 2017: 26%
5. Instagram (64%)  
   There was a 9% decrease compared to 2025. Data is available for previous years: 
   2025: 73% | 2024: 71% | 2023: 75% | 2022: 84% | 2021: 84% | 2020: 76% | 2019: 71% | 2018: 63% | 2017: 68% | 2016: 55% 
6. Teams (31%)  
   There was a 4% decrease compared to 2025 (35%).  

Some heavy losses for all platforms  

WhatsApp remains the number one most popular internet platform among Austrian young people in 2026, despite declining usage. With 82 per cent usage (84 per cent of which is daily usage), the messenger service leads the ranking, followed by YouTube with 76 per cent (50 per cent daily usage). While WhatsApp loses 5 percentage points compared to the previous year, YouTube loses 4 percentage points. 

In third place is the messenger app Snapchat with 65 per cent usage (85 per cent of which is daily usage). This puts it just ahead of TikTok and Instagram, which are each used by 64 per cent of young people, with TikTok (83 per cent daily usage) in fourth place and Instagram (77 per cent daily usage) in fifth place. All platforms recorded significant declines compared to the previous year: Snapchat and Instagram each lost 9 percentage points, TikTok 8 percentage points. Microsoft Teams, in sixth place with 31 per cent usage, also declined by four percentage points. 

Outside of the major networks, the app landscape for young people is diverse:  

• 31 per cent of young people use the digital pinboard Pinterest
• the gaming platform Roblox is used by just under a quarter (23 per cent)
• The communication platform Discord by just under a fifth (18 per cent)
• the streaming platform Twitch accounts for 14 per cent.  

These platforms have also seen declines compared to the previous year. Only the messenger service Signal and the internet forum Reddit (9 per cent each) have not suffered any losses. The biggest loser of the year is BeReal: the instant photo app, which was still used by just under a third of respondents in 2024, has been steadily losing ground since then and is only used by 7 per cent of young people in 2026. 

Only minor differences between the sexes  

Overall, there are few gender-specific differences when it comes to the most popular social networks. YouTube (boys: 79 per cent, girls: 73 per cent) and TikTok (boys: 67 per cent, girls: 61 per cent) continue to be used slightly more frequently by boys.  

However, by 2026, there are no more differences between WhatsApp, Snapchat and Instagram – a significant change compared to 2025, when Snapchat clearly dominated among girls in particular. As in the previous year, Microsoft Teams is used more frequently by girls (35 per cent) than by boys (27 per cent). 

The differences are more pronounced when it comes to video streaming and gaming platforms: Discord (boys: 28 per cent, girls: 8 percent) and Twitch (boys: 23 per cent, girls: 5 per cent) remain clearly male-dominated. The difference is less pronounced on the gaming platform Roblox: a quarter of boys (25 per cent) use Roblox, but so do over a fifth of girls (21 per cent). 

In contrast, there are significant differences in the use of the digital pinboard Pinterest, which appeals to over half of girls (55 per cent) but only 8 per cent of boys. Further significant differences can be seen on Reddit (boys: 14 per cent, girls: 3 per cent) and X (boys: 12 per cent, girls: 4 per cent). 

Algorithms instead of interaction: short videos dominate platforms

The focus of social networks has shifted significantly in recent years. Communicating directly with friends, staying informed about one's own environment or following specific people is becoming less and less important. Instead, endless scrolling through short videos is coming to the fore.  

This principle, which has shaped TikTok in particular, now determines how almost all major social media platforms work. Young people consume their content predominantly passively and allow themselves to be bombarded with content suggested by the algorithm. This is evident, among other things, in the fact that many of them can hardly name the content creators they actually follow. Algorithmic consumption is increasingly replacing the conscious subscribing to and following of individual personalities. 

ChatGPT & others: the new stars in young people's digital everyday lives?

AI chatbots are already firmly established in the everyday lives of 11-to-17-year-olds. For this reason, the Austria Safer Internet Centre Saferinternet.at has dedicated an additional survey to this topic. The survey found that 94 per cent of young people already use chatbots, which may partly explain the observed decline in social media use.  

Added to this is the enormous variety of digital offerings: in addition to social networks, streaming services such as Spotify, Netflix and Disney+ are also used. There is also a growing sense of saturation among young people: although social networks continue to be an important part of their everyday lives, many young people express criticism in focus group discussions with the SIC. The large amount of advertising and the similar content on the various platforms are found to be particularly disturbing. Disturbing content and hateful comments also make social networks unattractive to many young people. 

About the Youth Internet Monitor 

The Youth Internet Monitor is an annual representative study commissioned by Saferinternet.at. It surveys how and which social networks and online platforms are used by young people (aged 11 to 17) in Austria, and what changes there are in media use in this population group. 

Detailed information on the current study and survey data on other online and social media platforms can be found at www.jugendinternetmonitor.at. 

View and download the infographic of the Youth Internet Monitor 2026, summarising the main findings and data from the study: PDF, 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.

This article was originally published on the website of the Austrian Safer internet Centre and is replicated here with permission. Read the original article here.