Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Fact check: Do Black people use snap more than white people?
Executive Summary
A 2016 AP‑NORC survey of U.S. teenagers found Black teens reported higher Snapchat use (86%) than white teens (71%), and higher rates of near-constant use (data collected Dec 7–31, 2016) [1] [2]. However, available materials from Snapchat and later analyses do not provide a recent, population‑wide racial comparison; the claim is supported for teens in 2016 but cannot be confidently generalized to all age groups or to the present without newer representative data [3] [4] [5].
1. What the core data actually says — a clear teen‑age snapshot
The AP‑NORC survey conducted in December 2016 sampled 790 U.S. teenagers aged 13–17 and reported 86% of Black teens used Snapchat versus 71% of white teens, with 40% of Black teens and 33% of teens overall reporting almost constant Snapchat or Instagram use [1] [2]. The survey’s margin of error was ±4.6 percentage points at the 95% confidence level and its methodology is documented, which means the difference observed is meaningful within the sample of teens surveyed but must be interpreted against sample size and timing limitations [2].
2. Why the teen finding cannot be automatically broadened to all ages
The AP‑NORC results are explicitly teen‑focused (13–17), so extrapolating to adults or the entire Black and white populations is not supported by that dataset alone [2]. Social media use varies strongly by age cohort; platform preferences and penetration change across age groups and over time. Because the presented sources include no recent population‑representative racial breakdown for adults, the 2016 teen finding indicates a historical, demographic difference among adolescents, not a definitive statement about all Black people versus all white people [1] [2].
3. What later or corporate sources say — gaps and emphasis on inclusion
Snap’s public materials and third‑party snapshots from 2023–2025 discuss user diversity, daily active user counts, and content representation but do not provide a direct, updated statistical comparison of Snapchat usage by race [3] [4] [6]. Snap’s newsroom emphasizes representation and partnered content audits showing higher-than-population representation of Black/African‑American characters in some content audits, signaling an institutional focus on diversity rather than offering usage-rate metrics by race [5] [3].
4. Limitations of the evidence and methodological caveats
The teen survey’s sampling timeframe (December 2016), sample size (790 teens), and margin of error (±4.6 points) mean statistical uncertainty exists and trends may have shifted since then [2]. Corporate reports from Snap focus on engagement, revenue, and content audits rather than providing transparent, repeated demographic panels comparable to AP‑NORC, which leaves a gap: there is no recent, consistent public dataset supplied here that measures Snapchat use by race across age groups and geographies [4] [7].
5. Alternative interpretations and possible agendas behind available sources
The AP‑NORC survey is academic/public‑interest research aimed at understanding teen media behaviors; its result highlights heightened activity among Black teens [1]. Snap’s materials emphasize inclusivity and content representation, which serves a corporate agenda to show responsiveness and engagement with diverse users without necessarily disclosing granular usage by race [3] [5]. Both types of sources have different incentives: researchers seek behavioral insight, while the company highlights brand positioning and content equity [1] [7].
6. What a balanced conclusion looks like given the sources at hand
Based solely on the documents provided, the most supportable conclusion is that in late 2016 Black U.S. teenagers reported higher Snapchat use than white teenagers [1] [2]. There is insufficient, recent public evidence in these sources to assert the same difference for adults, other age cohorts, or for the current year; Snap’s 2023–2025 materials do not fill that gap and instead address diversity and content representation [3] [4].
7. What’s missing and what would resolve the uncertainty
To move from a teen‑specific historical finding to a definitive, current answer requires recent, representative surveys or platform disclosures that break out Snapchat usage by race and age. Longitudinal panels, Pew/APS‑style updates, or Snap’s own demographic breakouts—published with methodology and dates—would allow definitive comparison. Until such updated data are publicly available, the claim should be stated narrowly: supported for U.S. teens in 2016, not proven for broader or contemporary populations [1] [2] [4].