New Delhi, Apr 22 (IANS): It is not Facebook itself but its popular app Instagram -- and its closest rival Snapchat -- have become the most popular social media platforms among the teenagers in the US, a new survey has found.

The survey by Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at University of Chicago found that 76 per cent of American teenagers in the age group 13-17 use Instagram, 75 per cent of them use Snapchat and only 66 per cent use Facebook -- essentially a flat figure from 2015 when Pew Research Center data showed 71 per cent of US teenagers go to Facebook.

"Understanding how teenagers use devices like tablets, desktops and laptops may seem like old news," said Amanda Lenhart, a co-author.

"But the varying degrees of access of different groups to these platforms have implications for education and future facility with tech tools, including those needed for the workplace," added Lenhart, who is also a senior research scientist at The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

While almost all teenagers -- 91 per cent -- use the regular text messaging tool on their mobile phones, 40 per cent of them also use messaging applications like Kik, WhatsApp or Line on a smartphone.

"About 47 per cent of teens use Twitter, fewer than 30 per cent of them use Tumblr, Twitch or LinkedIn," the survey found.

It was also highlighted that tablet access has surpassed the use of desktop computers among American teenagers, with 54 per cent of youth having access to a desktop, compared with 68 per cent of them having access to a tablet computer.

Laptops (80 per cent) and smartphones (89 per cent) are the most common devices that teenagers use to access the internet.