Youth in the US have a significant influence on popular culture. Everything from TV and music to the latest fashion is often dictated by the trends and experience of young people.

Social media has become a very integral part of the lives of young people in the United States. 90 % of teens ages thirteen to seventeen have used social media and 75 % have reported that they have at least one active social media profile. YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram were the most popular social media platforms as of 2018, though in recent years TikTok has also become extremely popular. As of 2018, 95 % of teens in the United States own their own smartphone and 45 % of teens have said that they are online on a constant basis. As of 2021, 63 % of youth between the ages of twelve and seventeen used TikTok on a weekly basis, compared to 57 % on Instagram. A majority of U.S. youth also have access to a gaming console in their homes, though boys are more likely to play video games than girls (95 % versus 83 %).

The use of social media has elevated the consumerism and need for approval among one’s peers that is typical of young people. However, social media has also become a tool for young people to engage with and share their concerns about social justice issues. Many trends for young people focus on elevating issues of racial, gender, and environmental justice. With the proliferation of the internet, their impact is felt throughout society, from changing the fabric of the country’s economic system to forcing and influencing political movements, the youth of today have more power than ever in shaping America’s pop culture. Many young people use social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter in order to both discuss and shape pop culture, while also discussing social justice issues that they care about. Young people with large followings can gain sponsorships from brands and many young people use this as an opportunity to highlight social justice issues that are important to them.

While there are benefits to this, including being able to stay connected to friends, sharing art or other work, promoting social justice activism, and self-expression, there are also many negative mental health effects of social media. Social media has been a place where some young people have experienced cyber-bullying from peers at school or have been exposed to harmful and violent content. There are also privacy concerns and concerns around others obtaining their personal information. Overall, there are mixed opinions among young people regarding whether social media has a positive, neutral, or negative effect on their lives. their peers on racial, economic, gender and environmental justice, as well as organize protests or other forms of activism.