Half of Tweens and Teens Use Social Media and AI Chatbots Built for Older Users, Common Sense Media Research Finds

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 27, 2026—Common Sense Media today released a nationally representative survey of tweens and teens, exploring how young people spend their free time with screen media for entertainment, outside of school and homework. The results show that screens fill much of young people's days, and that products designed for older users, like AI chatbots and social media, are already popular with children under 13.

The findings from "The 2026 Common Sense Media Census: Tech and Media Use by Tweens and Teens" offer a unique insight into how young people age 9 to 17 engage with screen media in their free time. While screen media use is a common source of entertainment, most youth don't enjoy screen media as much as their usage would suggest.

Results from the survey revealed four major patterns:

• Phones and apps arrive early, and many tweens under 13 are already using AI and social media designed for older users. Personal smartphone ownership nearly doubles from age 9 (24%) to 10 (47%) and crosses the halfway point at age 11 (57%), a milestone that may line up with the transition to middle school; by age 17, ownership is nearly universal (94%). Nearly half of tweens (49%) have used an AI chatbot or companion at some point, and of those, 18% used one on the day surveyed, suggesting that current age-gating isn't working for many U.S. tweens.
• Tweens' and teens' days are crowded with screen media for entertainment, and short-form video takes up a notable share of it. A typical teen spends about eight hours a day on screen media for entertainment, while a typical tween spends about five hours, and more than 4 in 10 teens (43%) are spending 10 or more hours a day. On the day surveyed, only 45% of tweens read for fun, and that dropped to 23% for teens.
• Heavy use doesn't always mean enjoyment, especially for AI, social media, and TV/video. Across most media types, far more youth use something than those who say they enjoy it "a lot." AI shows the widest gap: 65% of all youth (77% of teens, 49% of tweens) use AI in their free time, but only 11% of teen users and 15% of tween users say they enjoy it "a lot." Social media follows a similar pattern (86% of teens use it, but only 47% of those users enjoy it "a lot").
• Digital divides persist: Phone ownership is fairly even across income levels, but computer access is not, which could impact access to learning resources and opportunities. Youth from lower-income households are 9 percentage points less likely than their higher-income peers to have a computer at home (83% vs. 92%) and less than half have one of their own (46%), compared with 56% to 59% of their higher- and middle-income peers, a gap that could shape access to schoolwork tools and learning opportunities, not just entertainment.

"Kids are living on platforms that were never built for them, years before they're old enough to use them," said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. "Age limits exist on paper, but our data shows they aren't protecting kids in practice. And here's what should worry every parent: Kids aren't even enjoying most of it. They're spending hours on social media and AI chatbots that only a fraction say they truly love, while reading for fun and other activities fall away."

Overall, findings point to a population of young people engaging with technology at early ages, filling their days with screen media, much of which is built for older users. For more information, see the full report here.

About Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is the leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the research-backed information, education, and trusted voice they need to thrive in the age of AI. Through our Youth AI Safety Institute, media ratings, advocacy campaigns, and Digital Literacy & Well-Being Curriculum, we protect and prepare kids, reaching 150 million families and more than 90K schools worldwide. Learn more: about.commonsensemedia.org