The Internet is gradually gaining momentum in the daily life of adolescents. Despite this, young people’s interest in Facebook is declining rapidly.
Before coming to this conclusion, Pew Research Center bring investigation. This concerns the american teens, technology and social networks. Eventually, Pew reported that only 32 % individuals (13 to 17 years old) use facebook. In comparison, 77 % of them used the platform in 2013, according to an old Pew report. At that time, Instagram and Snapchat were still behind her and TikTok did not yet exist.
Facebook and teens, different wavelengths
Today, social media abounds on the Internet. In fact, each individual can find one or more social networks that suit him. Among this multitude of choices, teenagers are interested especially to four of them. And Facebook isn’t one of them, at least it’s not as valuable to teens.
Jules Terpak, who is a young content creator, shared his vision at TechCrunch.
“There are now far more than five highly positioned social media platforms to scroll through endlessly, and it is not viable for our minds to compartmentalize or prioritize our relationship with all of these platforms. »
Jules Terpak, par e-mail
Therefore, users need remove some platforms pour preserve their time et their Mental Health. In the case of teenagers, Facebook is losing ground.
Besides, the Facebook internal reports also go in this direction. This is what the documents that Frances Haugen disclosed relate. Between 2019 and early 2021the number of teenagers using Facebook has dropped by 13%.
According to the content creator, this is partly because the network releases an energy that tends towards spam. Moreover, American teenagers already had this negative feeling in 2013whereas the majority were still using Facebook. According to the Pew report, some considered it as an obligation.
Moreover, teenagers already showed more interest in other social networks in 2013. As a result, time has made young users converge on them to abandon Facebook.
The favorite social networks of teenagers
If teens are tired of Facebook, this is not the caseInstagram which is also a Meta platform. Since a previous survey (2014-2015), the number of young users (Americans) on Instagram increased from 10% to 62%. These figures are found to be quite close to that of TikTok who is second in the standings, with its 67 %. In fourth positionthere is Snapchat with 59%.
Nevertheless, YouTube distance from very far the latter with its 95 %. A colossal difference which does not mean that it dominates the other social networks. Indeed, a large majority of these teens use it only to watch videos or listen to music. And that’s quite normal since YouTube doesn’t really encourage interaction with other connected people.
Re the frequency of usePew reported that 19 % young people use YouTube “almost constantly”. In parallel, TikTok, Snapchat et Instagram receive the same degree of attention from respectively 16 %, 15 % et 10 % of the interviewees. In comparison, only 2% is in favor of Facebook.
