When kids say Facebook is for their parents, they’re not kidding.
Only 36% of 13- to 17 year olds use Facebook at least once a week. That compares to 87% of 18- to 34 year olds, 90% of 35- to 54 year olds, and 96% of those 55 and older.
That last statistic is telling. Facebook has become the realm of older users.
“That’s where their community is. Everyone they know is on Facebook. The other older adults they know are on Facebook and even though younger people don’t use Facebook that often, most still have a Facebook profile, Toby Cox, at D.C.-based business research firm The Manifest, which conducted the study, told WTOP.
“So, older generations may not feel that they need to use as many platforms as younger generations use.”
Why don’t teens prefer Facebook to other social media platforms? There is too much to read.
“Even though Facebook offers a wide array of content, it is the most text-heavy social medial platform. Younger people seem to be more drawn to visual content, and the platforms that offer a seemingly unlimited supply of it,” Cox said.
YouTube is universally the top social media platform across generations, used at least once a week across all age groups, but Generation Z, more than other age groups, gravitate to Instagram and Snapchat.
Teens also spend more time on fewer platforms.
Although more than three-fourths of Gen Zers and millennials use social media multiple times a day, Gen Zers tend to spend more time on fewer platforms, while millennials tend to use a more diverse range of platforms.
“Gen Zers are more targeted and know exactly what they want out of their social media use,” said Joseph Rothstein, CEO of Social Media 55, a social media marketing agency.
“They don’t have the time to diversity the platforms they use because they’re focused on mastering the ones they use.”
