Is Facebook driving away teens?

New research has shown that whilst Facebook and YouTube are still important for many teens their popularity has been falling steadily amongst this demographic over the last year. So are teens being driven away by Facebook’s new updates or are they leaving in favour of other, newer, more specialist social media platforms?

Recently Facebook has often been accused of turning away from teens to concentrate on the 18-49 demographic which is so important to many advertisers. Facebook’s new changes include an update to the News Feed which will allow dedicated streams of content as decided by the user. These dedicated streams will present information in a more magazine-style format, from which users can scroll down to the content they want. This will hopefully improve engagement and mean people spend longer on the site; keeping marketers happy!

However, teens are not abandoning social media. Rather they are leaving Facebook in favour of newer, ‘cooler’ platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Tumblr. Interestingly, these new apps often have a very specific USP or specialised area which attracts users.

So is Facebook missing out by failing to appeal to teens? Teens currently make up an $819 billion consumer segment with 53% of females and 52% of males admitting that social media chatter influences their purchasing decisions.

Is Facebook just failing to be the next new thing? Or is it right to focus on the more advertiser friendly 18-49 demographic? Let us know your thoughts!

 

© SnapChat. Logo.

Latest Posts

The funnel still matters, but social runs it: brand gravity for familiarity, clean demand capture for speed, and AEO to show up in AI answers.
Read More
Instagram Rings is a new and exciting award that celebrates creators who take bold, creative risks and push the boundaries of content on the platform. Instead of focusing on follower counts or financial benchmarks, it honors originality, cultural impact, and the spirit of experimentation. Winners receive…
Read More
From Oasis-fuelled nostalgia to TikTok Shop, here’s how UK culture drives baskets. Build for durable shifts, ride bubbles wisely.
Read More