“This year, its fastest-growing age group will be ages 35 to 44 [up 7.2%], while gains will be much slower among teens 12 to 17 [0.7%] and young adults 18 to 24 [2.0%]. However, Gen Z will still make up nearly three in 10 users on Instagram [28.0%] this year, so advertisers can still find them on the platform.”.

This year, its fastest growing age group will be ages 35 to 44 (up 7.2%), while gains will be much slower among teens 12 to 17 (0.7%) and young adults 18 to 24 (2.0%). In total, the number of Instagram users will hit 118.9 million this year, rising 3.7% from 2020. For more on social usage trends in Gen Z, see our article “More Gen Zers now use TikTok than Instagram in the US.”.

With many screen-time rules in abeyance and distance learning replacing in-person school, teens and younger school kids are reaping the benefits but also seeing the limitations of what digital technology can do for them.

As with video viewing, digital technology has taken a large role in teens’ shopping without altogether replacing older methods. We estimate that 61.8% of 14- to 17-year-olds in the US will be digital buyers next year. Though substantial, that’s lower than the penetration rates of all other age groups younger than 65.