Pew Study: Teens' Internet Obsessions Getting Worse

American teens are not just social-media savvy, they are obsessed — with nearly half reporting they are online on a near-constant basis, almost double the number just a few years ago, a new report found.

In the Pew Research Center survey, researchers found big changes in teens' usage of social media as well.

For example, the survey showed 85 percent of teens use YouTube, 72 percent use Instagram and 69 percent use Snapchat. Facebook, which once dominated the social media scene, is used by 51 percent of teens these days. Twitter is the platform of choice for 32 percent, the survey found.

It also found 95 percent of teens now report they have a smartphone or access to one — and 45 percent say they are online on a near-constant basis. Another 44 percent said they go online several times every day.

Pew found that half of teenage girls fall into the group of constant Internet users, while 39 percent of teenage boys wind up in that group. Hispanic teens also reported higher levels of internet usage, with 54 percent saying they use the Internet on a near-constant basis, the survey found.

Pew noted the changes are significant from the 2014-15 study, which found 24 percent of teens reported being online constantly. The increase, they surmise, is related to the increased access to smartphones.

According to Business Insider, the findings come just as tech companies are starting to wrestle with "smartphone addiction."

During Google's yearly developer conference in May, the tech giant unveiled a "digital wellbeing" initiative claiming to focus on curbing the obsession — helping users to track how much time they are online and offering tools to help people look at their phones less frequently.

Bloomberg reported Apple is working on a similar project called "digital health."

• Report: System Flaw Allows Spies to Track Cell Phones, Eavesdrop
• Parkland Shooter Recorded Cell Phone Videos of Violent Intent