The most-used social media site among teenagers and young adults in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020 was YouTube. A survey carried out by AudienceProject revealed that 82 percent of 15 to 25-year-olds said they used the video-sharing platform, making it more popular than Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
YouTube stars
The leading celebrity YouTube channel in the UK in terms of the number of subscribers is Ed Sheeran. The pop singer had a 42.8 million subscribers as of December 2019. Other popular celebrity channels were One Direction and Adele, although Ed Sheeran had more subscribers than both of these combined.
Social media and generational differences
Comparing the social media sites most used by other age groups reveals some interesting differences. In the 26 to 35 age group, Facebook was the most popular social media platform with 82.5 percent. Of those aged 36 to 45, less than 30 percent used Facebook, and just 13.2 percent used YouTube.
Reach of leading social networking sites used by those aged 15 to 25 in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 3rd quarter 2020
Characteristic
Share of respondents
YouTube
82%
Facebook
80%
WhatsApp
79%
Instagram
76%
Snapchat
57%
Twitter
44%
LinkedIn
30%
Pinterest
28%
TikTok
24%
Reddit
23%
Tumblr
10%
0%20%40%60%80%100%
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The source does not provide information on the original wording used during the survey. Thus, the wording chosen for this statistic may differ slightly from the one in the survey.
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AudienceProject. (September 17, 2020). Reach of leading social networking sites used by those aged 15 to 25 in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 3rd quarter 2020 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 03, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1059462/social-media-usage-uk-age/
AudienceProject. "Reach of leading social networking sites used by those aged 15 to 25 in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 3rd quarter 2020." Chart. September 17, 2020. Statista. Accessed April 03, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1059462/social-media-usage-uk-age/
AudienceProject. (2020). Reach of leading social networking sites used by those aged 15 to 25 in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 3rd quarter 2020. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: April 03, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1059462/social-media-usage-uk-age/
AudienceProject. "Reach of Leading Social Networking Sites Used by Those Aged 15 to 25 in The United Kingdom (Uk) as of 3rd Quarter 2020." Statista, Statista Inc., 17 Sep 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1059462/social-media-usage-uk-age/
AudienceProject, Reach of leading social networking sites used by those aged 15 to 25 in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 3rd quarter 2020 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1059462/social-media-usage-uk-age/ (last visited April 03, 2025)
Reach of leading social networking sites used by those aged 15 to 25 in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 3rd quarter 2020 [Graph], AudienceProject, September 17, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1059462/social-media-usage-uk-age/
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