Facebook (ticker: FB) is a Wall Street tech darling. But among teens, it’s at the bottom of the social food chain compared to its own app, Instagram, and Snapchat. But will its latest endeavor to impress high school kids make investors want to throw it a “like?”
That’s where “Lifestage” comes in — Facebook‘s newest social network for Apple (AAPL) iPhone owners in the U.S. that’s strictly for those 21 years old and younger, The Telegraph reports. Its aim, much like the focus of other trendy social apps, is to have users shoot their own videos to share. Lifestage’s angle is wanting teenagers to take videos of themselves doing an “embarrassed face” or asking them to share a video of their “best friend.”
The Telegraph points out that this is not attached to the Facebook app, and videos are only visible to those who have the app and at nearby high schools. If you are over 21, you can still download the app but you can’t watch videos from others.
That said, safety concerns have already become an issue. The app does not offer age verification nor can you manage who can watch the videos you post. Much like other apps, users can report and block questionable users. Facebook is nonetheless transparent about these concerns on the app’s page: “Everything you post in Lifestage is always public and viewable by everyone, inside and outside your school. There is no way to limit the audience of your videos. We can’t confirm that people who claim to go to a certain school actually go to that school. All videos you upload to your profile are fully public content.”
What’s clear is that Facebook’s efforts to keep up with Gen Z — and better rival Snapchat in the process — are well-documented and cross-channel. Its real secret weapon in this fight is its ownership of Instagram. A recent Washington Post article highlighted an Instagram-owned teen Facebook group called IG Young Artists, “filled with Instagram-loving teens with pretty typical follower counts and habits.” Instagram launched its “Stories” functionality this month, which basically gave users their own version of Snapchat within the app.
Whatever the case, all these networks seem to be faring better than struggling social media giant Twitter (TWTR), which is pushing into live video to better retain a sense of relevance and purpose.
Facebook’s stock is up just over 18 percent on the year.
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Facebook (FB) Lifestage App Wants to Be BFFs With Your Teen originally appeared on usnews.com
