Latest research shows that Facebook is becoming less and less popular with teenagers, which is not good news for their business model.
The social media giant has, in the past three years, been found to be slipping in the polls when it comes to the number of people between the ages of 13-17 using it in the US, with most of them deciding to opt for messaging apps or using Twitter instead.
In 2012, 95% of teens claimed that they used Facebook, but in 2013 that took a small dip to to 94%, and that trend continued into this year, with now 88% of teens saying they use it in 2014. The reasons they were abandoning it were fairly clear from the statistics too, with just 9% of the teens who were surveyed describing Facebook as "safe" or "trustworthy", according to The Verge. However, the demographic on Facebook was also a cause, because everyone and their mother, somewhat literally, is now using it.
The main issue, from Facebook's point of view, is that these statistics begin to paint a worrying picture, not only because the age group in question is one of the most successfully targeted for their ads, but also because they raise a concern for its popularity in years to come, and therefor their future success. However, of the networks and apps that teens are using instead, two of the most popular are also owned by Facebook in Whatsapp and Instagram, which explains why all those billions that Zuckerberg & Co. invested may prove to be money very well spent indeed.
Via The Verge
