Stay up to date with social media
Social media moves quickly, and keeping up with the latest platforms and trends can feel a bit overwhelming. In this guide, we’ll run through the most popular social media platforms for teens and how to keep up to date with social media trends.
How to keep up with trends
Check the eSafety Guide
The eSafety Guide is your go-to resource for learning about all the latest apps, games and social media platforms, including what they’re used for and how to protect your information. You can also sign up to eSafety newsletter to keep on top of online issues and trends.
Chat with your teen
Often the best (and most knowledgeable) people to talk with about social media are your kids. Just ask them which apps and platforms they use, and why they use them. Start with:
‘Why do you like using it?’
‘I’m keen to know how it all works. Can you show me how to use it?’
‘Do you use it to follow friends, or is it more about connecting with people around the world?’
‘Can we take a look at the privacy settings? I’m happy for you to use the platform, but I just want to make sure you’re staying safe.’
‘What kind of posts do you like and share?’
Talk to teachers
Teachers are also a great resource. Talk to them about what students are using, or ask them to arrange community training with an eSafety expert. Some local area youth liaison police officers are also available to come and talk to your school or community about current e-safety trends.
Educate yourself
You could check out (and follow) sites such as Mumbrella, B&T, The Verge and Mashable, which often cover news and insights about social media trends. It’s likely that your favourite news publications have sections that cover social media and technology trends, too.
It might sound simple, but you could always search on Google for things like ‘most popular social media platforms Australia’ or ‘top social media trends teens’. Chances are you’ll find what you’re looking for.
To learn how some social media creators spread untrustworthy information, have a go at sorting genuine from fake information with this 'Spot the Troll' quiz or play this fake news game created by TILT & Cambridge University.
The most popular social media platforms for teens
What's popular today might be outdated tomorrow, making it challenging to keep up. Here are some of the most popular social media platforms young people are using right now.
Instagram is a free image and video sharing service that is used mainly on mobile devices. It’s commonly used to connect with friends and follow influencers or celebrities. You can have a public account or a private account, where only friends can see your posts. Instagram also allows users to message each other (individually or in group chats), and is a popular messaging service option for teens. Instagram have launched Teen Accounts for teens aged 13-16, which have in-built safety features – including restrictions on who can contact them and the content they see on their feed.
You may hear your teen refer to Instagram as ‘Insta’ or ‘IG’. Terms like ‘Finsta’ and ‘main’ refer to accounts that are kept private versus accounts/posts that are shared on someone’s ‘main’ (or public) account. Keeping up to date with Instagram safety measures will help you to set clear boundaries with your teen and encourage them to stay safe on the platform.
Learn more about Instagram safety tools in our Likes and Limits collection.
TikTok
TikTok is a free video sharing platform where users can shoot, edit and share short videos. Viral trends are often born on this app, and the platform is very popular with teens and young adults under 24. Like other social media apps, users can follow, like and comment on everything they see.
TikTok uses an algorithm to show users videos that are tailored to their interests. While you can follow accounts, your ‘For you page’ (or ‘fyp’) often features videos from strangers all around the world. You can learn more about TikTok in their Guardian’s Guide.
YouTube
YouTube is the most popular social media platform for Australian teens. Users can upload their own videos and subscribe to other creators. You’re also able to like, comment and share video content. Teens use YouTube in a variety of ways, and each generation of teens have created their own unique video styles and tones. Vlogging (video blogging) was born on YouTube, and is still a very popular format today.
YouTube has plenty of benefits for teens, like being able to access educational or informative content or connecting with their favourite creators. However, YouTube also poses a risk to teens, especially younger teens who may be more impressionable. There is a huge amount of content on YouTube, and the platform recommends content to be watched next. Because of this, it’s easy to spend hours at a time on the platform and to be fed content that is potentially distressing or not aligned with your values.
Stay up to date with YouTube’s advice for parents and aim to have regular, judgement-free chats with your teen about what content they’re consuming.
Discord
Discord is a social chat platform where users can send direct messages, share images and videos, and voice and video chat. You can join different ‘servers’, which are usually focused on a niche or hobby. You can also create your own Discord server, and invite others to join. The platform was originally designed for the gaming community, but it's now popular with people outside of the gaming space.
Discord allows young people to connect with people around the world who share their interests. It’s a great social media platform for teens who have niche interests who may struggle to forge friendships, or those who don’t have a huge community of teens around them. That being said, Discord is a platform that allows mature content, so it’s important to discuss safety measures with your teen. Visit the Discord Safety Centre to learn more.
Twitch
Twitch is an online streaming platform that's very popular within the gaming community. You can watch pre-recorded videos, but the main purpose is to watch ‘streamers’ as they live stream, and chat directly with others who are watching. It’s common to offer financial ‘donations’ to streamers, so if your teen uses Twitch sit them down for a chat about scam detection and keeping their financial details safe online. Find out more in Twitch’s Parent Guide.
Facebook is a free site where registered users (aged 13 and up) can share pictures, links, videos, and other content with their 'friends', as well as host or RSVP to events, join ‘groups’, or buy and sell things on Marketplace. Friends are other registered users you have connected with within the network.
Facebook is less popular today than it was previously, but many teens still use the service. Facebook changes its privacy settings regularly so it's important to keep across their settings and policies via the Meta Safety Center.
Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and other messaging services
Messenger, WhatsApp and other messaging applications let you contact friends using internet data (or wifi) instead of your mobile carrier, which reduces the cost of messaging. They can be used without a sim card if connected to a wifi network. Find out more about online chat services.
Snapchat
Snapchat is a mobile phone messaging application that allows you to send video or picture messages to one or more people at a time. The messages are only viewable for a few seconds at a time, as determined by the sender. However, there are ways of saving the images using other phone functions. Learn more in this Snapchat Parents Guide.
Reddit is a large online network of forums where users share news, content, and conversations. Reddit offers young people access to diverse communities and information on almost any topic. Mature content is marked with a NSFW ‘Not Safe For Work’ tag, and only users who state they are above 18 years of age can view this content. However, there is no age verification when creating an account. Learn more about Reddit via eSafety.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a blogging website where people can publish their own articles and share it with people who follow their blog or profile. They also view the content of people they follow. It’s no longer as popular with Australian teens as it once was in the past, but it still has an active user community. On Tumblr, it is more common to connect with people you don't know in real life than people you do. You can find Tumblr’s safety and privacy policies via the Tumblr Help Center.
X (formerly Twitter)
X allows users to share ‘tweets’ that include text, videos or images. Accounts are public by default, but you can make your account private. The site is free, however you can pay for a subscription service that offers unique settings. Learn more about safety on X.
Online games like Roblox and Among Us are also considered social media because of the way they enable social interaction. Find out more about other platforms, including recommended age ranges and safety measures, in The eSafety Guide.
Learn more about navigating the privacy settings for these platforms in our guide to looking after your family’s privacy online.
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