Teens & Youth

Here’s a look at what surveys by Pew Research Center and other organizations have found about Americans’ mental health during the pandemic.

A majority of U.S. parents are keeping a watchful eye on what their teens do on social media; some are also imposing screen time restrictions.

Nearly half of U.S. teens have been bullied or harassed online, with physical appearance being seen as a relatively common reason why. Older teen girls are especially likely to report being targeted by online abuse overall and because of their appearance.

Majorities of teens credit social media with strengthening their friendships and providing support while also noting the emotionally charged side of these platforms.

The landscape of social media is ever-changing, especially among teens who often are on the leading edge of this space. A new survey of American teenagers ages 13 to 17 finds that TikTok has established itself as one of the top online platforms for U.S. teens, while the share of teens who use Facebook has fallen sharply.

Last summer, businesses trying to come back from the COVID-19 pandemic hired nearly a million more teens than in the summer of 2020.

Seven-in-ten U.S. teens say they support the Black Lives Matter movement. By comparison, 56% of U.S. adults said this in a separate survey.

Students who are gay, lesbian or bisexual, as well as girls, were especially likely to say their mental health has suffered in the past year.

The shares of American 9- and 13-year-olds who say they read for fun on an almost daily basis have dropped from nearly a decade ago.

Fewer than a third (30.8%) of U.S. teens had a paying job last summer. In 2019, 35.8% of teens worked over the summer.