[Digital Today reporter Hojeong Lee] Instagram is the most-used social networking service app among South Korean teenagers, a survey showed.

Wiseapp Retail, an app and retail analytics service, surveyed a sample of Korean smartphone users and found that as of last month, Instagram had the most users aged 19 and under among SNS apps, posting 4.12 million monthly active users (MAU).

TikTok followed with 2.03 million, then Pinterest with 1.74 million, X (formerly Twitter) with 1.61 million, Band with 880,000 and Threads with 750,000. Pinterest, an image-sharing platform, stood out for its high usage rate among teenagers.

Instagram also ranked No. 1 among all Korean smartphone users. Its overall MAU was measured at 27.58 million.

It was followed by Band with 16.36 million, TikTok with 9.28 million, Naver Cafe with 9.19 million, X with 7.57 million and Facebook with 7.34 million.

The analysis also found that 5 apps — Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Threads and TikTok Lite — set record-high MAU in the latest survey, showing continued growth.

The survey drew attention as moves to restrict teenagers' SNS use spread globally. After the Australian government banned SNS use for children and teenagers under 16 last month, the French government is also pushing a bill to ban SNS use for those under 15 from September. Similar regulatory discussions are continuing in Denmark and Malaysia.