Children's Digital Device and Social Media Use During the Pandemic

Flashcards covering survey data on digital device and social media usage trends among children age 11 and younger between 2020 and 2021.

April 2021 Follow-up Survey

A center survey that tracked parents of children age $11$ or younger from March $2020$ to monitor changes in technology and social media use during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tablet Computer Use (Overall)

The percentage of young children who used or interacted with this device rose from 68\text{%} in March $2020$ to 81\text{%} in April $2021$.

Smartphone Use (Overall)

The share of young children who used a smartphone according to parents rose from 33\text{%} in $2020$ to 71\text{%} in $2021$.

Game Console or Portable Gaming Device Use (2021)

In April $2021$, 51\text{%} of parents with a young child reported their child used these devices, representing a slight increase from $2020$.

TikTok Growth (Overall)

Among the four social media sites covered, this platform saw the largest share of use, growing from 13\text{%} in $2020$ to 21\text{%} in April $2021$.

Other Social Media Use

The share of young children using social media sites other than TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram roughly doubled from 8\text{%} in $2020$ to 17\text{%} in $2021$.

TikTok Use (Children age 5 to 11)

This age group saw an $11$ percentage point increase in platform use, rising from 21\text{%} in $2020$ to 32\text{%} in $2021$.

TikTok Use (Children under 5)

This age group saw a four-point uptake in platform use, increasing from 1\text{%} in $2020$ to 5\text{%} in $2021$.

Tablet Use (Children under 5)

The share of parents reporting use for this age group rose from 51\text{%} in $2020$ to 69\text{%} in $2021$.

Game Console Use (Children under 5)

The use of game consoles or portable gaming devices for children in this age group rose from 16\text{%} in $2020$ to 29\text{%} in $2021$.

Smartphone Disuse (2021)

Among parents whose young child used a smartphone in $2020$, 40\text{%} reported their child was no longer using one in $2021$.

Game Console Disuse (2021)

Approximately 19\text{%} of parents who said their young child used a game console in $2020$ reported that the child was not doing so in $2021$.