Instagram is the favorite among 14–25-year-olds: it's their main source for learning about the world, the one platform they’d keep if they had to choose just one, and 8 out of 10 use it daily. They are also starting to befriend artificial intelligence – over 80% have already used it to complete homework assignments. And although more than a third of the teens surveyed dream of becoming influencers, they tend to underestimate the monthly earning potential of a successful content creator.

This is the fourth time we've conducted our questionnaire examining teens' online habits – the previous one was in 2023. Since 2019, this biennial survey has not only explored which platforms are popular among teens or what they think about influencers, but also regularly adapts to current trends – this year, for example, the use of artificial intelligence was added to the questionnaire.

“We’re not just interested in where teens are online now, but also in how their preferences evolve over time. Two years ago, we saw the rise of TikTok, but now it looks like Instagram remains the absolute favorite among teens. What hasn’t changed is their fascination with influencer life and their tendency to hide behind secret profiles on social media. For parents and educators, it's important to note that the number of teens reporting online harassment hasn’t decreased, and more and more are starting to wonder how artificial intelligence will shape their futures,” summarized our CEO, Mariann Forgács.

When it comes to staying informed about the world, teens name only social media platforms in their top four sources: Instagram (75.87%), Facebook (69.47%), TikTok (69.28%), and YouTube (57.63%). News websites follow at a significant distance – less than 30% of respondents mentioned 24.hu, index.hu, telex.hu, or blikk.hu. More than half of teens (53.41%) said they listen to podcasts. Almost no situation keeps teens from checking their phones: 74.63% scroll while on the toilet, 72.23% watching movies, and 6.55% even while at the cinema.

Although they use various platforms frequently, they rarely post – and if they do, it’s most often on Instagram (25.58%) and Snapchat (23.32%). The order of daily-used platforms (multiple answers allowed): 1. Messenger (92,9%) 2. Instagram (84,26%) 3. TikTok (70,52%) 4. Facebook (66,19%) 5. YouTube (63,81%). But if they had to choose only one platform to use exclusively, the majority would pick Instagram (40.06%). Messenger (21.16%) and TikTok (17.55%) received significantly less support. Only 8 out of 100 said they couldn’t live without YouTube.

Following influencers is a given – most follow more than 30, especially Hungarian youths who gained fame online (34.15%). More than half of teens (52.31%) have bought a product due to influencer promotion; 3 out of 100 do this regularly. Nearly a third (31.49%) have created content aimed at reaching people beyond their circle and offering value, while another 26.58% have thought about trying it. More than a third (35.16%) want to become influencers. Their motivation is mixed: for some it’s money (10.28%), others seek fame (9.5%), and many want both (15.38%).

Even though many are drawn to the influencer lifestyle by the prospect of high income, they tend to underestimate how much top content creators actually earn. Most respondents (34.5%) estimated YouTubers earn between c. €248 EUR and €743 EUR monthly, while for Instagram/TikTok influencers, most guessed c. €743 to €1238 EUR (26.65%). In reality, these creators can earn significantly more.

It’s typical for teens not to provide real personal information on social media (49.03%) and to have multiple accounts (38.62%) – sometimes even a secret one known only to a few (36.32%). Nearly half (49.19%) have experienced online harassment, and 1 in 10 (11.83%) said it happened multiple times. Over half (50.71%) have been asked for erotic photos in chat, and 8.81% have sent such pictures.

Teens aged 14–25 not only take selfies but also frequently send them via chat (51.81%) – boys less often, but still significantly (38.2%). About a quarter (23.53%) use filters to edit their photos. Perhaps it's the filter-heavy virtual world of Instagram that sometimes overwhelms them – half (50.49%) have taken a digital detox, 18.54% do so regularly, and another 29.23% have thought about trying it.

Artificial intelligence is already seen as a friend – only 15.17% said they haven’t tried any AI application at least five times. Most (81.6%) have explored ChatGPT. Boys are more experimental when it comes to AI and have tried a wider range of platforms. After ChatGPT, they listed Google Gemini (25.98%), Microsoft Copilot (19.23%), and DeepL (17.31%) as their most used tools. 8 out of 10 teens have done homework with ChatGPT, and nearly half (47.96%) use it frequently. As for whether they worry AI will force them to rethink their future careers: 20.79% have considered it, while 11.46% believe AI won’t take future jobs and see no reason to stress about it.

The survey was conducted online in April 2025 with a sample of 1,550 Hungarian youths aged 14–25. The results are not representative but aimed for demographic balance.