Teens are leaving Facebook in favor of other social networks and chat services, like WhatsApp, SnapChat, Instagram, and others. The network’s Chief Financial Officer David Ebersman announced the news during the company’s 2013 fourth quarter earnings call, saying that teen usage of Facebook decreased in the past few months.
It’s not too surprising to see teens leave Facebook, considering their moms, dads, aunts, uncles, and even grandparents are joining in the social media revolution. That means that parents have access to their kids’ photos, status updates, and friend networks — something teens probably aren’t too keen on.
That doesn’t mean teens are spending less time on their phones, tablets, and computers interacting with their friends. Instead, they are taking to places like Instagram, where they can share images of themselves and their interests, along with commenting on photos of their friends.
The change to Instagram isn’t bad news for Facebook, considering it owns the photo sharing site. Brian Solia, a principal analyst at Altimeter Group, told ABC News, “Facebook realized it needed not just a mobile feature, but also a future for this younger or teen audience.”
Teens are also picking mobile messaging services over Facebook, including ShapChat and WhatsApp. Twitter also gained steam, where users can post status updates, video clips, and follow their favorite celebrities. The microblogging site is more popular with teens than Facebook by a few percent.
[Image via Wikimedia Commons, H/T The Guardian]
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