Charts
Study Reveals How Age Shapes Social Media Preferences
Social media platforms connect billions of people worldwide every day, but these platforms aren’t uniform. They’re diverse micro-societies reflecting different age groups at different rates. Ooma’s new infographic analyzes social media usage patterns to deliver insights about generational preferences and a picture of the digital landscape’s influence on information spread.
The Ooma team used data from the Pew Research Center’s Social Media Fact Sheet and other reputable sources of social media demographics. Their approach gives us domestic and global information on platform usage numbers, which is valuable for researchers, marketers, and the digitally curious.
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A stand-out finding is YouTube’s enormous popularity across all American age groups. The platform brags 93% usage among 18–29-year-olds, 94% among 30–49-year-olds, 86% among 50–64-year-olds, and 65% among those 65 and older. YouTube is so widely used that it’s the second-largest search platform after Google. Anyone who wants quick video results can turn to YouTube to ask questions, but more than that, it’s a source of entertainment and education, too. With something for everyone, it’s no wonder YouTube is universally popular.
Facebook offered us some surprising data. It’s usually considered a platform for older generations, but the data defies this stereotype and shows us a platform with cross-generational appeal. 68% of people between 18 and 29 reported Facebook usage, and 78% between ages 30 and 49 did too. These numbers among younger people are nothing to sneeze at. Facebook has over 3 billion users worldwide, with a user base that clearly encompasses more than baby boomers and Generation X. Facebook’s staying power is impressive given the rise of up-and-coming apps like TikTok and Snapchat.
While YouTube and Facebook enjoy universal appeal, the infographic does reveal some age-based patterns for certain platforms. TikTok is certainly popular among younger users, with 59% of people aged 18 to 29 reporting that they use it, and only 10% of users over 65. TikTok’s user base tends to be young worldwide, with 30% of its users aged 18 to 24, and 21% between 13 and 17.
LinkedIn skews much older with usage peaking among 50- to 64-year-olds. This is no surprise as LinkedIn is primarily a professional platform made for business connections rather than entertainment or social sharing.
The data also reflects major shake-ups in a social media company that affect user bases. X, formerly known as Twitter, lost 2.7 million active users in just two months in December of 2024 after actions taken by CEO Elon Musk. The platform seems most geared toward people between 18 and 34, who comprise 34% of the user base.
These patterns show how age groups can affect social media usage and suggest what aspects of a platform attract different groups. The findings underscore how important it is for platforms of all kinds to adapt to changing culture and demographic needs or risk being left behind as exciting new platforms rise to take their place.
Charts
Map Shows Where Children Are Most Likely to Be Bullied
A new map from the team at PA Requirements displays the locations in the U.S. where children are most likely to bully and be bullied. Unfortunately, bullying is a widespread issue in the United States, with more than a third of school-age children experiencing bullying last year. The study is based on data from the National Survey of Children’s Health. The map color-codes the percentage of children who have been bullied or engaged in bullying. The result is a map that gives us a full-color illustration of the depth and severity of the American bullying problem.
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The team found that children are most likely to be bullied in Montana. In that state, 55% of children were bullied at least once in the past year, a truly shocking number. Tragically, 3.6% of Montana children reported daily bullying. Wyoming and West Virginia followed Montana for the highest instances of bullying.
Overall, these 10 states had the highest rates of children reporting being bullied at least once in the past year:
- Montana: 55.0%
- Wyoming: 53.8%
- Vermont: 50.5%
- Utah: 49.5%
- North Dakota: 49.1%
- Maine: 49.0%
- Wisconsin: 48.9%
- Colorado: 48.7%
- Idaho: 48.4%
- South Dakota: 47.9%
Children are also most likely to be the bullies in Montana, which makes sense. A high rate of bullying can suggest a high number of bullies. Perhaps the victims go on to become the bullies. Studies suggest that bullying can be cyclical.
These 10 states have the highest percentages of children who have bullied someone else in the past year:
- Montana: 25.7%
- Wyoming: 24.2%
- South Dakota: 24.2%
- Maine: 23.0%
- Iowa: 21.8%
- Colorado: 21.7%
- North Dakota: 21.6%
- Vermont: 20.4%
- Utah: 20.4%
- Missouri: 20.3%
Bullying is damaging to a child’s development. It can occur in or out of school. The four forms of bullying are physical, verbal, cyberbullying, and social/relational bullying. Relational bullying targets the victim’s social standing and can take the form of malicious gossip and rumors or exclusion from social groups.
Adults around victims can help prevent bullying, and it’s up to these same adults to set a good example and create safe spaces for children at home and at school. Some of the top tips for the prevention of bullying include:
- Teaching children to recognize bullying and understand why it’s wrong.
- Helping children learn to confidently stand up to a bully by telling them to stop and walk away to get adult help.
- Encouraging children to talk to trusted adults about bullying.
- Fostering confidence in children by encouraging them to pursue their interests and be proud of who they are.
- Modeling good behaviors, like respect and kindness.
There’s no concrete way to completely eliminate bullying, but these strategies can help create an environment where bullying is stifled. Teachers, parents, daycare workers, counselors, and social workers should all be aware of how to recognize the signs of bullying and take steps toward prevention.
Business Visualizations
The Top 100 AI Uses in 2025
The team at Qualtrics released a fascinating new study on the 100 most common ways people are using AI in 2025. They gathered their data from the Harvard Business Review and showed how each use rose or fell in popularity since 2024. As AI continues to grow, improve, and infiltrate more areas of life, these uses are sure to change. But this graphic serves as a great study of the state of AI usage in 2025. Netizens can use this chart to get inspiration for incorporating AI into their next project or use it as a reference when studying AI’s impact on society.
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The team found that AI use could be separated into six broad categories. Here are the areas, along with how much use has increased since 2024:
Personal and Professional Support
- 30% (up from 17% in 2024)
Content Creation and Editing
- 18% (down from 23% in 2024)
Learning and Education
- 16% (steady from 2024)
Technical Assistance and Troubleshooting
- 16% (steady from 2024)
Creativity and Recreation
- 11% (down from 13% in 2024)
Research, Analysis and Decision Making
- 9% (down from 10% in 2024)
The most popular and fastest-growing category of AI use is in personal and professional support. This category can encompass many different ways to use AI, such as scheduling, planning workouts, prepping for job interviews, organizing life, and even as a coach through parenting and interpersonal challenges. In fact, the number one use for AI in 2025 is as a therapist or counselor. Many professionals are concerned about this widespread use for therapy since an AI can’t think or empathize as a human can. The average AI user may not realize that AI is a predictive text model that bases its responses on probability and statistics rather than logic and compassion.
Although this use case is declining, many people still use AI for content creation and editing. This can include composing emails and social media posts, experimenting with blogging and creative writing, creating ad copy, structuring business plans, and more. AI is also used to check for errors and refine tone and writing style. Many value preserving their human voice, and this use case has fallen in ranking.
AI is often used for tech assistance, with an increasing number of people using it to create code. AI’s ability to develop workable HTML or automate IT tasks and debug human-written code has vastly improved, so it’s no surprise this use has gained popularity over the past year. AI can be used for less serious purposes, too. People like to experiment with ideas and gain inspiration from AI technology. They use it to compose poems and bedtime stories, get recipe ideas, or plan their next Dungeons and Dragons campaign.
This graphic makes it clear that AI and its uses are constantly evolving to serve people in new ways and adapt to the changing needs of different users. It’s sure to change and adapt in ways we won’t always predict.
Charts
Graphic Shows What Each Generation Splurges On
Spending money is a deeply personal choice, but it can still signal values, needs, and priorities on a larger scale. The team at Qualtrics specifically examined what different generations spend extra money on. In the team’s data, we can see patterns that could show how much extra money different generations have to spend, what conveniences make an impact on them, and how cultural values drive their spending habits.
The team created two visuals; one shows the top three spending categories for Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers. Next, they listed 18 different spending categories and showed what percentage of each generation is likely to splurge on this category. The results are a fascinating generational study!
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The youngest adult generation, Gen Z, struggles with expenses like high-cost housing, student debt, and low wages for entry-level jobs. Gen Z probably has the least money to splurge, but they still find ways to buy treats. 37% of Gen Z said they are likely to splurge on bars and restaurants. This was one of the only spending categories that was unanimous among every generation. It seems everyone wants to skip cooking and enjoy a restaurant now and again.
Millennials, who are in their late twenties to early forties, are most likely to be parents who are balancing busy careers with family life. They’re most likely to splurge on dining out as well, but they’re also uniquely likely to splurge on groceries. This could be attributed to the cost of grocery deliveries through apps like Postmates. Millennials were the first generation to embrace grocery delivery apps, and it might be a helpful time-saving splurge for busy parents and professionals.
Gen X represents people at the far end of their careers and working lives. They’re at the perfect point to have some money to spend on rewards for their lives of hard work. Like every other generation, many said they’d splurge on dining out, but they’re also highly likely to splurge on travel. This makes sense since many members of Gen X are in good health to travel and don’t have the constraints of children to hold them back. They travel solo, with groups, family, or friends.
As for Baby Boomers, the oldest generation, most of them are retired now. Like Gen X, many say they’re likely to splurge on travel to see the places they’ve spent a lifetime dreaming of visiting. They have some splurging habits in common with younger generations, spending extra money on conveniences and necessities like groceries.
The team’s data reflects what different age groups find most important in life and indicates how much money they can use on a splurge. It’s telling that older generations splurge on travel, a high expense that younger generations likely can’t afford. There’s no doubt that we can draw many thought-provoking conclusions from the data we find on these graphics.
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