Teens are slowly abandoning Facebook for other social media platforms, a new study reveals. According to a market research company, the social media giant will see a decrease among its teenagers in the US this year.
Facebook is predicted to lose approximately 4.3 million users ages 12 to 17 in 2017. According to eMarketer, the platform will only see around 14.5 million teenagers in the US this year, down by 3.4 per cent from last year. In contrast, Facebook will see an increase of users with age brackets 18 to 24 and 12 under.
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The research firm cited these teenagers will be migrating to Instagram and Snapchat. Facebook now has 2 billion users worldwide making it the most populous social network.
Oscar Orozco, eMarketer's senior forecast analyst, notes Instagram and Snapchat as the new favourite go-to network for these teens and tweens.
"We see teens and tweens migrating to Snapchat and Instagram", says Orozco. "Both platforms have found success with this demographic since they are more aligned with how they communicate—that is, using visual content".
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He stresses that people from 12 to 17 seem less betrothed on Facebook, resulting in less site visit and less time spent.
"Outside of those who have already left, teens and tweens remaining on Facebook seem to be less engaged—logging in less frequently and spending less time on the platform".
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Despite Snapchat struggling to compete with Instagram, it is expected to reach 79.2 million users in the US alone. Nearly 20 per cent of it is young adults ages 18 to 24.
Instagram, on the other hand, will also be seeing a surge in its monthly user base, which is estimated to reach 23.8 per cent or 85.5 million. The surge will occur at ages under 12 years old and the 12 to 17 bracket.
According to Orozco, this is the first time they have ever foreseen a decrease in Facebook usage for any age group. Facebook has not yet commented on the study.
