Wait A Minute. Facebook Is Still A Big Hit Among Teens

It’s an idea with staying power: Teens are abandoning Facebook, moving on to messaging apps, and leaving the social network to their less-cool elders.

The notion picked up steam last October, when Facebook signaled that there was a slight reduction in youth use of the network, and since then it has become almost a truism among social media professionals and other smart observers. Parents of adolescents have added their experiences into the mix and soon even President Obama was saying that kids “don’t use Facebook anymore.”

But the data don’t support that conclusion. Yes, there has been some reduction in teen use of Facebook, but it’s still the most popular social site for that demographic. That fact is made clear by two new studies.

Forrester Research: 75% U.S. Youth Use Facebook

Today, Forrester Research released a report that showed more than 75% U.S. online youth use Facebook at least once a month.

That total, drawn from a survey of 4,517 internet users ages 12 to 17, is twice as many as use Pinterest, Tumblr or Snapchat and more than use Instagram and WhatsApp combined. Furthermore, among those youths who use Facebook, 28% say they use it “all the time,” which also is a better result than any other service. The full $499 report can be purchased here.

Niche: 87% Of Teens Still Use Facebook

Niche, an college and K-12 education review site, found similar results from a survey of 7,000 of its teen-aged users. Namely, 87% use Facebook at least occasionally, a total only surpassed by video giant YouTube (97%). Sixty-one percent of use Facebook daily, including 47% who use it “a few times a day.”

Niche’s study, including more charts like the one below, is available here.

About The Author

Martin Beck

Martin Beck was Third Door Media's Social Media Reporter from March 2014 through December 2015.