Teens push pression on Facebook, they prefer Snapchat and Instagram

7 years ago - Published in Finance, Fundamental Analysis

Facebook will see a decline among teenagers in the U.S. this year, says market research firm eMarketer. Facebook usage among U.S. users between the ages of 12 and 17 is expected to decline for the first time this year, falling 3.4% from the previous year, according to the research. While this decline gives Snapchat a rare edge, as teens are fleeing to its platform, Facebook is still in the game as teens seem to be spending time on its other property, Instagram. 

The picture is similar in the UK. eMarketer doesn't give figures or state what its previous estimates were but again reports percentage declines for teen and young users.

“We see teens and tweens migrating to Snapchat and Instagram. Both platforms have found success with this demographic since they are more aligned with how they communicate – using visual content,” said Oscar Orozco, an eMarketer forecasting analyst, in a statement.

This is the first time eMarketer has predicted any kind of decline in Facebook usage, and they also see usage slowing among users under the age of 12 (yes, that’s a demographic on Facebook) as well as among users between the ages of 18 and 24.

It's a grown-up problem for Facebook which needs young users to develop the habit of checking Facebook so it can show them ads well into adulthood.

“At the same time, we now have ‘Facebook-nevers’ — children aging into the tween demographic who appear to be overlooking Facebook altogether, yet still engaging with Facebook-owned Instagram,” Orozco wrote.

Snapchat usage is expected to increase this year, with the U.S. user base to grow 5.8% to 79.2 million monthly. EMarketer increased growth projections for all age groups except the oldest, with the biggest jump in young adults, ages 18 to 24 increasing nearly 20%.

Similarly, monthly Instagram usage in the U.S. will grow 23.8% in 2017 to 85.5 million. Within that figure, Instagram will expand its user base among those under 12 years old by 19% and those ages 12 to 17 by 8.8%. Facebook declined to comment.