Youth Internet Monitor 2026: How Austria’s young people really use social media!

What makes Gen Z and Gen Alpha in Austria tick at the moment? This year, too, the Saferinternet.at initiative has taken a close look at the social media usage of young people aged between 11 and 17. The results of the Youth Internet Monitor 2026 reveal exciting shifts: while traditional social media platforms are losing ground, artificial intelligence is becoming an integral part of everyday life.

Here are the key takeaways for parents, educators and anyone interested:

1. The ‘Big Players’ are losing reach

While the familiar giants continue to dominate the rankings, almost all of them are seeing noticeable declines compared with the previous year. The top 5 most popular networks are:

• WhatsApp (82 %): Remains the undisputed number 1, but loses 5 percentage points.
• YouTube (76 %): Number 2, also with slight losses.
• Snapchat (65 %): Just clinches bronze.
• TikTok & Instagram (both 64 %): Are level in 4th and 5th place.

The trend: There is a degree of ‘social media fatigue’. Young people are increasingly criticising the amount of advertising, the sameness of content and hateful comments.

2. Algorithm instead of subscription: the end of loyalty?

The way in which content is consumed has changed fundamentally. Active interaction with friends or deliberately following favourite influencers is declining.

• Passive consumption: Endlessly scrolling through algorithmically curated short videos (in the style of TikTok) has become the standard on almost all platforms.
• Content before person: Many young people are often no longer even aware of who they are actually following. Content is what counts – the names of the creators are often not the focus..

3. AI is the new mainstream

While social media is weakening slightly, the use of AI tools is exploding.

• 94 % of young people already use AI chatbots (such as ChatGPT).
• These tools are firmly embedded in everyday life and partly explain why less time is spent on traditional social platforms.
• To date, there has been no advertising on the usual AI chatbots. However, ChatGPT is already planning to introduce advertising in the tool's free plans.

4. Gender differences: gaming vs. inspiration

On the major networks (WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat), the usage habits of girls and boys are becoming increasingly similar. But in the “niche”, the divides remain deep:

• Male-dominated: Platforms such as Discord (28 % boys vs. 8 % girls) and Twitch remain firmly in male hands.
• Female-dominated: The digital pinboard Pinterest is extremely popular with girls (55 %), while it hardly plays a role for boys (8 %).

5. Winners and losers on the sidelines

• The decline of the year: The app BeReal, which was still used by a third of young people in 2024, has plummeted into insignificance (only 7 % now). The French social app was fitted with advertising after being sold.
• Stable: Niches such as Signal or Reddit are holding up well, albeit at a low level.

Conclusion

The Youth Internet Monitor 2026 paints a picture of a generation diversifying its digital consumption. The past year in particular has shown that consumption is also moving away from pure social networking towards entertainment through algorithms and productivity through AI. For parents and carers, this means: media literacy today no longer means just “safety on Facebook”, but also understanding how to engage critically with AI and algorithmic video feeds.

Data source: Saferinternet.at / Youth Internet Monitor 2026